The Eye of the Oncoming Storm
by ChristmasAngel1225
Summary: The Doctor is on his 10th body and has traveled to New Earth where someone is eagerly awaiting his presence. How will the Doctor, Rose, Mickey, and countless others cope with the arrival and how will it change the course of their lives? First in the Tempest Series. [COMPLETE]
1. New Earth: Someone New

The Doctor stood at the console, flipping the occasional switch and tugging a lever while Rose made her goodbyes with Jackie and Mickey for the umpteenth time. A soft sigh escaped his lips as his mind looked back on everyone he had ever pulled away from their normal lives, just so he wouldn't be alone anymore. Rose had left her mother, the only family she had left really, and Mickey who loved her to bits, for him and all the danger that came along with him. He shook his head, clearing himself of those thoughts as the pocket inside his trench coat started to warm up ever so slightly. With a frown, he pulled out the psychic paper to see a delicately written message that made his eyes widen comically before Rose threw the doors open.

"So where are we going?" She asked, her voice dripping with excitement as her lips broke into a smile. The Doctor slipped the paper back into his pocket, turning to grin back at her and flip a switch.

"Further than we've ever gone before." He smirked as he set the Tardis into motion, rocketing through the Time Vortex.

TEotOS

Two emerald green eyes opened, tears spilling from them as they looked into the eyes of Matron Casp.

"He's coming, and your beloved Sisterhood will fall" a cracked and dry voice hissed out in muffled delight as fear sparked in the eyes of the Matron. Soft, quiet laughs lept from the figure's lips as Matron Casp rushed from the room in terror.

TEotOS

The Tardis materialized in a field of green grass, the Doctor and Rose quickly rushed out of the door, grinning at the new world before them. "It's the year five billion and twenty-three. We're in the galaxy M87 and this? This is New Earth," the former breathed out, his body tingling with an all too familiar feeling of adrenaline rushing through his veins.

"That's just. That's just…" Rose whispered, the majesty of traveling hitting her with full force once again.

"Not bad. Not bad at all." The Doctor finished, beaming at the city, the cars, the water, everything sprawling out in front of him.

"That's amazing. I'll never get used to this. Never. Different ground beneath my feet, different sky." Rose squeaked out in delight, "What's that smell?" She questioned, turning to look at the Doctor as he leaned down to pluck the grass from the ground and present it to her.

"Apple grass." He said, holding it out for her to smell, "Apple grass." She repeated with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah." The Doctor affirmed, turning his gaze back to the city before him. His eyes narrowed upon landing on the hospital, the psychic paper heating up once again in his pocket once again.

TEotOS

The green eyes closed again as the woman possessing them took deep breaths through her damaged body. Her muscles suddenly contracted as she forced her mental capabilities to the brink, reaching out for that little signal again. A smile ripped her cracked lips, blood pooling on them as she found the signal and immediately sent it another message.

TEotOS

Another figure gasped, watching through a monitor as Rose and the Doctor ran through the fields outside the hospital.

"Human! She's pure-blood human! Closer, closer." He gasped, desperately urging his metal, spider-like probe to follow them further.

TEotOS

The Doctor and Rose paused their running to relax in the field of apple grass, their gaze turned up the sky and flying cars streaking across it. "So, the year five billion, the sun expands, the Earth gets roasted." The Doctor explained.

"That was our first date," Rose exclaimed, cutting him off with a smile, not noticing the slight dimming in the Doctor's eyes.

"We had chips." He whispered before snapping back to his explanation, "So anyway, planet gone, all rocks and dust, but the human race lives on, spread out across the stars. Soon as the Earth burns up, oh yeah, they get all nostalgic, big revival movement, but then find this place. Same size as the Earth, same air, same orbit. Lovely. Call goes out, the humans move in." He finished, gesturing to the world around him with a grin.

"What's the city called?" Rose asked, propping herself up to look at him.

"New New York." The Doctor replied, amusement dancing in his eyes while Rose's rolled dramatically, "Oh, come on…" She said, a joking smile on her face.

"It is. It's the city of New New York." The Doctor exclaimed, "Strictly speaking, it's the fifteenth New York since the original, so that makes it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. What?" He trailed off, looking at Rose's appraising eyes.

"You're so different." She murmured, reaching out to put a strand of his hair back into place and then frowning when the Doctor leaned back ever so slightly. "New New Doctor." He breathed out, an awkward smile on his face. The spider probe slowly inched forward, completely unnoticed by the two travelers.

TEotOS

"Impossible. I recognize that child. Her face. Show me her face!" Another woman's voice whispered from behind the man with the metal spider. "Closer, closer." The man murmured, hurriedly obeying the voice. "Face! Face! Face!" The woman shrieked quietly.

TEotOS

"Can we go and visit New New York, so good they named it twice?" Rose asked as she rose from the grass to stretch her legs. The Doctor quickly joined her and focused his attention back on a certain building.

"Well, I thought we might go there first." He said, pointing towards the building with a green moon painted on the side. Rose frowned as she stared at it,

"Why, what is it?" She asked while moving to stand next to him. "Some sort of hospital. Green moon on the side. That's the universal symbol for hospitals." The Doctor explained before pulling out the psychic paper, "I got this. A message on the psychic paper." He turned the paper towards her to reveal a message saying "Ward 26, please come"

"Someone wants to see me." He whispered, a small piece of hope blooming in his two hearts at the idea of who in the Universe could have sent that message.

"Hmm," Rose said, a jealous curiosity seeding itself in her mind. "And I thought we were just sight-seeing. Come on, then. Let's go and buy some grapes." She said, trying to brighten herself up as she tugged him away.

TEotOS

The female voice crowed in sadistic delight, "Rose Tyler! I knew it. That dirty blonde assassin." Said voice emanated from a stretched piece of skin, hooked up to a metal frame, with two stunning blue eyes and a pair of thin, red lips.

"She's coming here, mistress." Her assistant explained, adoration shining in his eyes as he crept closer to Cassandra. "This is beyond coincidence" She murmured, "This is destiny. At last, I can be revenged on that little-" She suddenly stopped, her eyes widening.

"Don't forget about me…" A chilling voice whispered in Cassandra's mind, echoing ever so slightly.

"I would never forget dearest," Cassandra replied aloud, gesturing with her eyes for her assistant to leave the room. "I'm sending Chip to move you right now, we'll hide you here until the proper time." She continued, a wide smirk smoothing out over her features.

"Your kindness will not be forgotten, Cassandra" the voice whispered across Cassandra's mind before fading out.

TEotOS

Chip hurried down several disgusting basement hallways, littered with used medical equipment, bags of medical waste, and layers of grime on most surfaces that he could see and touch. Eventually, he made it to a room with a small keypad next to it. He closed his eyes and waited for the voice that had guided him and his mistress in surviving living in this pit of squalor.

"The code..." Chip's back straightened instantly at the sound as he listened intently. "Seven, six... one, three... nine... zero" The voice rasped, cracking every so often as Chip typed in the code to the room. A pair of green eyes snapped open just as the doors did, a gasp of relief tumbling from her cracked lips as she struggled in the restraints. Chip sprinted over, his nervous fingers undoing the buckles on the woman's wrists and ankles as quickly as he could. The bindings slid off soon after, followed by a cackle of delight from the woman as she stretched out her limbs for the first time in a long while.

"I'm free." She choked out, sliding off of the table and into a wheelchair. "Take me to her Chip, and don't make any stops." She ordered the man, concentrating on her injuries as Chip started to rush her over to his Mistress.

A horrified gasp left Cassandra's lips upon Chip's reentry into their hiding space, her eyes locking onto the petite woman in the rickety wheelchair that Chip was pushing in front of him. "Chip, get her some food, medicine, anything!" She shrieked in alarm, never hating her lack of mobility more than she did at that moment. The man nodded in understanding and sped from the room to raid another supply closet on one of the upper floors.

"Don't you dare die on me," Cassandra muttered, glaring at the woman who merely sent her a lazy smirk.

"I'm not planning on it, don't you worry dear. If we want this to work you need me and I happen to be quite difficult to kill." The latter rasped from her dry and cracked throat as an orange tint started to form under her skin.

"I'll be fully healed in a tick Cassandra, and then we can commence. Do you have any clothes I can change into once I am healed?" She finished, locking eyes with Cassandra.

"Yes, a pair of scrubs is in that cabinet over there for you to change into. Before we worry about that though," Cassandra paused, "Please tell me your name if you want me to trust you with this mission." The woman opposite her raised a sculpted brow, her eyes locked on Cassandra's before rolling them in sheer annoyance.

"I cannot tell you my true name dearest, merely the one I give to those I met on my journeys," The woman warned, her eyebrow still cocked up as she studied Cassandra's paper-thin form. Cassandra gazed back intently, awaiting the name she had requested.

"My name is Aneres," Cassandra smiled at the reply, quietly whispering it to herself. Aneres rolled her eyes once again before hoisting herself out of the chair. "Time for me to get ready I suppose," She murmured, grabbing the scrubs as Chip returned with some stolen food.

TEotOS

Rose and the Doctor entered the hospital, gazing around at their surroundings as the latter explained his rather ironic dislike of hospitals. "Bit rich coming from you." She muttered jokingly, smiling at the Doctor.

"I can't help it. I don't like hospitals. They give me the creeps." He exclaimed defensively, pouting ever so slightly at his companion. A voice echoed from the hospital intercom, simple regulations being broadcasted as they continued to gaze about.

"Very smart. Not exactly NHS." Rose continued, her brown eyes flicking around every surface she could spot.

"No shop. I like the little shop." The Doctor whined softly, glaring at anything and everything.

"I thought this far in the future, they'd have cured everything." Rose thought aloud, ignoring the Doctor as she looked at the nurses and doctors that were moving across the lobby.

"The human race moves on, but so do the viruses. It's an ongoing war." He responded idly before drifting off at the feel of tendrils stroking his mental shields. "Impossible..." He whispered mentally until he was roused by Rose's incredulous tone.

"They're cats." She harshly whispered in his ears, her eyes wide and fixed on the cat-human nurses and doctors.

"Now, don't stare. Think what you look like to them, all pink and yellow." The Doctor snarked at her, the accidental rudeness annoying him to no end. He sighed, thinking that she had seen enough to at least be polite to those they met on their travels. "That's where I'd put the shop. Right there." He finished, distracting himself as he hopped into the lift alone. "Ward 26, thanks!" He chirped, gaining the attention of three individuals several floors beneath him.

TEotOS

Chip frantically moved to his monitor and control, whispering, "Override controls." Into a small microphone, Aneres coming up to stand next to him as he worked. Her rags had been replaced by a pair of white scrubs and a navy scrub cap to hold back her unruly mane of jet black hair. Cassandra grinned in delight as she realized her ticket out of here was rapidly approaching.

"The lift is moving down, the human child is coming," Chip breathed out, drawing a smile to Aneres' lips.

"Retrieve her Chip." The latter ordered the clone away, moving back to Cassandra's framing and checking everything over.

The clone watched as Rose emerged from her lift into a rubbish-strewn corridor, disgust marring her face. "The human child is clean." He said, a sinister grin splitting his lips as he leered at the blonde.

"Er, I'm looking for Ward 26?" The human called, fear shaking and cracking her voice ever so slightly. "This way, Rose Tyler." He replied, slinking down the hallway as muffled giggles escaped his lips. At last, his mistress and dear friend would be freed from their communal prison.

TEotOS

The Doctor carefully exited his own lift, a veiled nurse beside him as his guide to Ward 26. "Nice place. No shop, downstairs. I'd have a shop. Not a big one. Just a shop, so people can shop." The Doctor rambled, his eyes flicking back and forth across the ward.

"The hospital is a place of healing!" The nun exclaimed, ripping her veil off in horror to eye the Doctor up.

"A shop does some people the world of good. Not me. Other people." The Doctor attempted to claim, much to the annoyance of the nun.

"The Sisters of Plentitude take a lifelong vow to help, and to mend." She muttered, her tone breathy with irritation. However, they were both interrupted by an angry shout from an open cubicle they had been passing.

"Excuse me! Members of the public may only gaze upon the Duke of Manhattan with written permission from the Senate of New New York." A spindly red-headed woman snapped, glaring from behind a pair of horn-rimmed glasses at the Doctor and the accompanying nun.

"That's Petrifold Regression, right?" The former asked, nodding his head at the obese, gray man in the bed before him.

"I'm dying, sir. A lifetime of charity and abstinence, and it ends like this." The Duke drawled, rolling his eyes in offense at the situation he had found himself.

"Any statements made by the Duke of Manhattan may not be made public without official clearance." The aide tacked on, her words flying like acid from her puckered lips. The Duke lunged forward, demanding his aide, Frau Clovis', comfort.

"Sister Jatt. A little privacy, please." Clovis continued, turning back to the Duke as Jatt and the Doctor hurried away from the pair.

"He'll be up and about in no time." Sister Jatt reassured the Doctor as they moved away from the Duke, much to the Doctor's confusion.

"I doubt it. Petrifold Regression? He's turning to stone. There won't be a cure for oh, a thousand years? He might be up and about, but only as a statue." He joked, smiling at Jatt, who was clearly unamused.

"Have faith in the Sisterhood." Jatt breathed out, her lips pursed, "But is there no one here you recognize? It's rather unusual to visit without knowing the patient." Jatt pointed out, facing the Doctor in bewilderment.

"No, I think I've found him." He replied with a smile, his eyes falling on the Face of Boe.

TEotOS

Rose continued to follow the peculiar man until they entered an even filthier room. A film played on a small projection screen, and a woman with dark hair and green eyes stood in the corner. "I mean, you never know what your life is going to be like, ever. I'm bored with this drink. Anyway. Oh, hello darling! Now, don't. Stop it." A gorgeous blonde woman tittered on the video, a gracious smile adorning her face and handsome men surrounding her.

"Wait a minute, that's-!" Rose's exclamation was soon cut off by the very same woman's voice emanating from behind Rose. "Peekaboo!" Cassandra said with a peppy grin.

"Don't you come anywhere near me, Cassandra." Rose warning, slowly moving away from the flap of skin. Aneres' eyes narrowed as her lips fought the urge to smirk at Rose's movements.

"Why? What do you think I'm going to do? Flap you to death?" Cassandra drawled sarcastically, her eyes rolling for the umpteenth time that afternoon. "Yeah," Rose conceded, "but what about Gollum One and Two?" She asked, gesturing the rod at Chip as he stood next to Aneres.

"Oh, that's just Chip. He's my pet." Cassandra said, utterly bored with this change of subject. "I worship the mistress!" Chip crowed in delight, a grin stretching his lips.

"Moisturise me, moisturize me." His mistress demanded, causing him to hurry over to her with a spray bottle. "He's not even a proper life form," Cassandra explained, relishing the feeling of the moisturizer landing on her skin from Chip's spray bottle.

"He's a force-grown clone. I modeled him on my favourite pattern. But he's so faithful. Chip sees to my physical needs." She continued, her eyes occasionally closing in bliss.

"I hope that means food." Rose muttered before asking, "How comes you're still alive?" The woman in question snapped her eyes open in a glare, "After you murdered me." She spat at the blonde. "That was your own fault." Rose pointed out, much to Aneres' amusement.

"The brain of my mistress survived." Chip continued the explanation, "And her pretty blue eyes were salvaged from the bin." Aneres added on, calling Rose' attention back to her for a very brief second.

"What about the skin? I saw it. You, you got ripped apart." Rose continued, shaking off the other woman. "That piece of skin was taken from the front of my body. This piece is the back." Cassandra elaborated, a tinge of embarrassment in her features.

"Right! So you're talking out of your a-" Rose's cackle, however, was cut off by Aneres' statement of, "Ask not."

"The mistress was lucky to survive. Chip secreted m'lady into the hospital, where we found m'lady's friend." Chip whispered, his spray bottle continuing to pump lotion on Cassandra's body. "So they don't know you're here?" Rose clarified, slightly confused.

"Chip steals medicine. Helps m'lady. Soothes her, strokes her." The clone continued, his hand ghosting over Cassandra's translucent form a few times.

"You can stop right there, Chip." Rose snapped in disgust, as Cassandra continued, "But I'm so alone, hidden down here. The last Human in existence." She finished, despite an eye roll from Aneres.

"Don't start that again. They've called this planet New Earth." Rose moaned out, exasperated with Cassandra's pureblood human-supremacy complex. "A vegetable patch." Cassandra retorted, her mouth twisted in a frown.

"And there's millions of Humans out there. Millions of them." Rose continued, debating with Cassandra who merely spat, "Mutant stock."

"They evolved, Cassandra. They just evolved, like they should. You stayed still. You got yourself all pickled and preserved, and what good did it do you?" Rose questioned, raising an eyebrow at Cassandra as Aneres glared daggers at Rose from opposite the room.

"Oh, I remember that night." Cassandra whispered, "Drinks for the Ambassador of Thrace. That was the last time anyone told me I was beautiful. After that it all became such hard work." She finished bitterly, a wishfulness entering her voice.

"Well, you've got a knack for survival, I'll give you that." Rose sighed out, seeing Cassandra wasn't backing down. "But we've not been idle, Rose, tucked away underneath this hospital. We've been listening. The Sisters are hiding things." Cassandra whispered, drawing the blonde's attention back to her.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked, her gaze drifting over to Aneres in suspicion. The raven woman merely stared at her, her face schooled into an impassive mask. "Oh these cats have secrets. Hush, let me whisper. Come close." Cassandra murmured, drawing Rose's eyes back to her own.

"You must be joking if you think I'm coming anywhere near you!" Rose replied, hurriedly backing away before she found herself trapped.

"Chip, activate the psychograft!" Aneres shouted, rushing forward to check Cassandra's connection to the machine. "I can't move. Cassandra, let me go! What're you doing?!" Rose shrieked in alarm as Aneres and Chip continued to move their plan into action.

"The lady's moving on!" Cassandra exclaimed, "It's goodbye trampoline, and hello blondie!" A grin passed over all three of them as a burst of pink energy lept from Cassandra to Rose's body.

"Mistress?" Chip asked tentatively, slowly moving closer to the unconscious blonde. Then Cassandra's voice sounded from the body. "Moisturise me." Aneres rolled her eyes at the familiar phrase.

"How bizarre. Arms, fingers, hair!" Cassandra quickly lept to her feet upon realizing the change had succeeded. "Let me see! Let me see! Oh my God. I'm a chav!" She wailed in horror, eliciting a loud cackle from Aneres as the latter embraced her.

"Another step closer to victory my sweets." Aneres murmured, her lips wide and smiling.

Hi everyone! Please let me know how you enjoyed this chapter. I will try my best to update this story by doing two or three chapters per episode, meaning this fic will span all of season 2 and then end. My updates will probably happen once every two weeks, as I am very busy with work and school at the moment. Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter and I hope we can be together to watch this story grow with time.


	2. New Earth: Lost and Found

Cassandra continued to wail in horror, despite Aneres' sweet words. "Look at me. From class to brass." Aneres rolled her eyes and turned Cassandra ever so slightly to show the profile of Rose's body.

"Ooh, curves. Oh, baby, it's like living inside a bouncy castle!" Another cackle escaped from Aneres, Cassandra's face broke into a sick grin and Chip cried out, "The mistress is beautiful!"

"Absolutement!" Aneres agreed, until her attention was brought to the equipment. "Oh, but look…" Cassandra whispered sadly, staring at the ruined framing and wiring that had been keeping her gloriously thin self alive.

"Oh, the brain lead expired. My old mistress is gone…" Chip murmured, his voice cracking. "But safe and sound in here." Aneres assured him, patting Rose/Cassandra's blonde hair.

"But what of the Rose child's mind?" Chip questioned, concerned for their plan.

"Oh, tucked away. I can just about access the surface memory." Cassandra bushed off his concerns, until a particular memory from the surface of Rose's mind made its way up. "She's. Gosh, she's with the Doctor. That man. He's the Doctor. The same Doctor with a new face. That hypocrite!"

Aneres rolled her eyes at Cassandra and said cooly, "That's normal for our species Cassandra. He regenerated, and now he looks quite nice if I do say so myself…" She drifted off, accessing Cassandra's thoughts to see the New Doctor. Definitely one of her favorites, especially the new hair, Aneres mused silently with a smirk.

Cassandra raised an eyebrow, "What did you mean when you told us that you knew the Doctor?" She asked, joining Chip in concern for their plan. Aneres' eyes narrowed to cold emeralds at Chip and Cassandra.

"That is none of your concern. I promised you would be able to leave this place in a new body, and you shall." She spat, her brows furrowed and eyes glinting.

"Hmm" was Cassandra's eloquent response as an embarrassed blush rose to her cheeks, thankfully the conversation was interrupted by Rose's mobile beginning to ring. "Oh, it seems to be ringing. Is it meant to ring?" Cassandra asked Aneres and Chip, staring at Rose's backside in alarm.

Chip chuckled and explained, "A primitive communications device mistress." Cassandra's eyes widened as she plucked the mobile from the pocket and opened it slowly. The Doctor's voice rung out from the speaker and Aneres' spine straightened in response.

"Rose, where are you?" He demanded, concern lacing his voice. Aneres shivered in pleasure, her heightened senses picking up the deep and sensual timbre of his voice.

"How does she speak?" Cassandra demanded, anxiously glancing at her accomplices and raising an eyebrow at Aneres.

"Old Earth Cockney." Chip whispered, careful to avoid being heard over the communicator. Cassandra took a breath and slowly replied, "Er, wotcha…" She slowly trailed off, fear growing in her eyes.

Aneres fixed her with a look, praying that this wouldn't ruin everything they had worked for since they had found each other.

TEotOS

"Where've you been? How long does it take to get to Ward 26?" The Doctor asked, confused as to where his companion had disappeared to.

Rose responded, her voice sounding different cause of the mobile, "I'm on my way, governor." He rolled his eyes at the lingo, a gentle chuckle escaping his lips at his companion's antics.

TEotOS

Cassandra continued to respond, hoping to assuage the alien's worry for Rose, "I shall proceed up the apples and pears!" Aneres giggled and hid her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with repressed laughter. Cassandra blushed and hid a smile as they continued to impersonate Rose.

The Doctor replied, his voice brimming with excitement, "You'll never guess. I'm with the Face of Boe." Cassandra froze, completely forgetting who that was. Aneres paled and gestured for her to keep going. "Remember him?" The Doctor asked, thinking back to their first trip together.

"Of course I do…" Cassandra drawled nervously, gesturing for Aneres to help her, who merely gaped at Cassandra like a fish, "That big old… Boat race…" She trailed off, hoping the Doctor would ignore it.

"I'd better go, see you in a minute." The Doctor cut her off before hanging up the call.

"Dear God that was abysmal…" Aneres mumbled, still in shock that he seemed to believe it. Cassandra exhaled, the stress leaving her as she put the mobile away.

"What do we do now?" She asked, turning to Aneres and Chip.

"Well I can't very well accompany you to Ward 26. The matrons all know who I am, we wouldn't last five minutes," Aneres explained, "And Chip isn't employed by the hospital because of their plentitude of nurses so he'll stick out like a sore thumb." She finished, taking a seat in a small rolling chair.

Cassandra sighed in frustration, "So I need to go alone?" Aneres nodded at Cassandra, who growled slightly. "If this goes sideways I'm gonna kill you." She spat jokingly before getting herself ready.

TEotOS

The Doctor stood before the Duke of Manhattan, gaping at the incredibly cheerful, completely cured man. He whirled around to gape at Matron Casp, a smug smile on her face. "Primitive species would accuse us of magic, but it's merely the tender application of science." She explained, gesturing at the healthy man.

"How on Earth did you cure him?" The Doctor sputtered, his mouth opening and closing in shock.

"How on New Earth, you might say." Casp joked gently, smiling at the Doctor, who only had eyes for the mysterious solutions hooked onto the Duke's IV.

"What's in that solution?" He asked, pinning the Matron with a look. "A simple remedy," Casp deflected, slowly pulling away from the Doctor and towards the exit.

"Then tell me what it is," The Doctor demanded, thoroughly alarmed by the level of secrecy this hospital maintained.

"I'm sorry. Patient confidentiality. I don't believe we've met. My name is Matron Casp" She explained, holding out her hand for the Doctor to shake. "I'm the Doctor," He replied, shaking her hand.

"I think you'll find that we're the doctors here," Casp sneered defensively before Sister Jatt approached, looking quite afraid. "Matron Casp, you're needed in Intensive Care," Jatt whispered, her eyes wide and her body trembling slightly.

"If you would excuse me," Casp said respectfully before drifting off with Sister Jatt towards the back of the Ward.

"It's happened again. One of the patients is conscious." Jatt whispered, her voice shaking as she followed the Matron. "Oh, we can't have that," Casp murmured.

"Head on down to Intensive Care, I'll meet you there after I feed Patient Zero." Jatt paled at the mention of Patient Zero before speeding off, while Casp made her way into a lift and sent it down to the basement.

TEotOS

Aneres and Chip grabbed some cosmetics from a nearby table while Cassandra fiddled with her hair. "This Doctor man is dangerous," Chip warned, worried for his beloved mistress.

Aneres chuckled and explained, "Dangerous and clever. We're going to need a mind like his, which is why you have me."

Cassandra frowned at the mirror, adjusting her neckline, "The Sisterhood is up to something." She said, turning to face Chip while taking a lipstick from Aneres. "Remember that Old Earth saying, never trust a Nun? Never trust a Nurse. And never trust a cat." Cassandra continued, grinning at her own joke. "Perfume?" She asked, holding her hand out for the small vial in Chip's hand and placing it between Rose's ample breasts.

"Now remember, you only knock him out with one spray and then you just leave him alone. Don't try to move him, it'll make him wake up faster cause you'll make his body more active." Aneres murmured, pushing a strand of hair out of Cassandra's face absentmindedly, until a crash resounded from another room in the basement.

"Bollocks," Aneres spat, pulling on a surgical mask to cover her mouth and nose before speeding out of the room. "Hold on, where are you going?!" Cassandra shouted after her, with Chip merely gazing at the door in shock.

Aneres silently strode down the hallways, keeping her breathing as soft as possible as she made her way back to her previous living quarters. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of Matron Casp exiting the room, fury present in every line of her feline features. Aneres slowly reached down and picked up a heavy metal pipe while ducking around a corner. "Steel, definitely heavier than five pounds, going to have to swing pretty hard…" She whispered to herself before steeling her nerves to come back around the corner and swing the rod into Casp's skull, a smirk coming to her lips at the crack that resounded from the blow.

The Matron's rolled back into her head as she collapsed, her clean, white habit becoming filthy with grime as she lay on the floor. "That's for starving, poisoning and brutalizing me," Aneres spat, swinging out her foot to kick the Matron in the ribs.

"And that's for everyone else," She muttered before turning on her heel and heading back towards Cassandra and Chip.

Cassandra and Chip turned back to the door of the room as Aneres sauntered back in, a self satisfied smirk on her face. "Well Matron Casp won't be an issue any longer," She claimed, her eyes alight with pleasure.

Chip gaped and murmured, "You killed her?"

Aneres chuckled, "No, merely rendered her unconscious with a metal pipe. I do want her to stand trial for what she did to me, doesn't mean I can't get some payback while I'm at it."

Cassandra cackled at Aneres' antics, pulling her into an embrace. "See this is why we get along. We don't let anything stop us." Aneres smiled at Cassandra's words before ushering them out.

"Go find the Doctor and get him to Intensive Care, I'll try to find you later." Chip and Cassandra nodded and hurried away, leaving an excited Aneres to her own devices.

TEotOS

Cassandra got into the lift, taking deep breaths as it went up to Ward 26. Chip turned away from the lift and made his way over to Intensive Care, using the familiar ventilation system to keep himself hidden. Upon entering the Ward, Cassandra found herself being pulled around the room by the Doctor. "There you are. Come and look at this patient. Marconi's Disease. Should take years to recover. Two days. I've never seen anything like it. They've invented a cell washing cascade. It's amazing. Their medical science is way advanced. And this one. Pallidome Pancrosis. Kills you in ten minutes, and he's fine. I need to find a terminal. I've got to see how they do this. Because if they've got the best medicine in the world, then why is it such a secret?" He rambled, yanking the woman back and forth between patients without taking a moment to breath between sentences.

"I can't Adam and Eve it," Cassandra said, pulling her arm from the Doctor and staring around the room until she spotted a terminal, and completely missing the Doctor's bewilderment.

"What's, what's. what's with the voice?" He asked, previously thinking the mobile had just messed with her voice. "Oh, I don't know. Just larking about. New Earth, new me." Cassandra murmured, a sultry tone about to make it's way to the surface until Aneres interrupted her.

"Flirt with him and I will put you in the most ugly body I can find," The lady threatened Cassandra mentally, and completely serious.

"Well, I can talk. New New Doctor," The Doctor commented, sending her a smile.

"Mmm, aren't you just," Cassandra replied, smiling back at him, "Terminal's this way, by the way." She added, gesturing to a screen opposite them in the waiting room.

"Yep, you still got it!" The Doctor smiled, proud of his companion's observation as they approached the terminal.

"Nope, nothing odd. Surgery, post-op, nano-dentistry. No sign of a shop. They should have a shop." The Doctor frowned while rambling ever so slightly.

Cassandra pouted at the screen, her eyes flicking over it impatiently, "No, it's missing something else. When I was downstairs, those Nurse Cat Nuns were talking about Intensive Care. Where is it?" She muttered, tapping the screen occasionally.

"You're right. Well done," The Doctor praised her, his eyes still fixed on the screen. "Why would they hide a whole department? It's got to be there somewhere," Cassandra continued, brushing off the praise, "Search the sub-frame." She ordered, missing the Doctor's shocked look.

"What if the sub-frame's locked?" He asked, doubt starting to creep into his eyes. "Try the installation protocol," She drawled, completely bored by the situation, which only served to further alarm the Doctor.

"He's on to you, Rose wouldn't know to do that. Take it down a notch" Aneres explained, whispering across Rose and Cassandra's mind. "Yeah. Of course. Sorry. Hold on." The Doctor mumbled, turning the Sonic screwdriver on to scan the terminal, only to reveal another room behind a sliding wall.

"Intensive Care. Certainly looks intensive," He murmured, catching the excited gleam in "Rose's" eyes as they made their way inside, completely missing the Novice that was trailing behind them.

TEotOS

Aneres stood from her place in the basement room and removed her presence from Cassandra's mind. "Time for me to make my way up there I suppose." She whispered, making her way down the hallways. As she moved through the grime she kept her eyes closed and occasionally brushed her mental tendrils against the Doctor's shields.

"It's been so long." She murmured to herself, taking a step to avoid walking on Matron Casp's body. Her head turned to stare at the nurse. "If only you had listened to me when I first arrived here," Aneres sighed, "You wouldn't have to watch everything you love die."

Turning away once more, she made her way to a hole in the ventilation system, following the path that Chip had marked with some tape. "Thank God for smart clones." Aneres muttered, hoisting herself into the ventilation duct.

TEotOS

Cassandra lead the Doctor down a long flight of stairs that opened up to a room who's walls were covered from floor to ceiling in green capsules. She and the Doctor approached one and opened it to reveal an incredibly ill man. "That's disgusting. What's wrong with him?" Cassandra asked, horrified at the sight of the poor thing.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," The Doctor murmured, forcing himself to close the door and open the capsule next to the first one.

"What disease is that?" Cassandra asked, fear mounting in her body. Aneres had told her what the Sisterhood had been doing but nothing could have prepared her for this.

"All of them. Every single disease in the galaxy. They've been infected with everything." The Doctor whispered, pain and misery leaking into his voice.

"What about us? Are we safe?" Cassandra asked, immediately regretting the selfish request upon another look at the woman.

"The air's sterile. Just don't touch them." The Doctor explained, slowly closing the capsule once again.

*How many patients are there?" Cassandra marveled staring over a railing at the hundreds if not thousands of capsules before them.

"They're not patients." The Doctor muttered, anger starting to poison his voice.

"But they're sick," Cassandra murmured, turning to look up at the Doctor.

"They were born sick. They're meant to be sick. They exist to be sick. Lab rats. No wonder the Sisters have got a cure for everything. They've built the ultimate research laboratory. A human farm." The Doctor ranted, fury coating his words, and a deep darkness entering his eyes.

"Why don't they just die?" Cassandra demanded, horrified by their continued suffering.

"Plague carriers. The last to go." The Doctor murmured, his nearly black with rage now. "It's for the greater cause." A gentle voice explained as a novice entered the room, looking deeply saddened by their surroundings.

"Novice Hame, When you took your vows, did you agree to this?" The Doctor demanded, moving towards her, each step cold and calculated. "The Sisterhood has sworn to help." Hame explained, tears entering her eyes while the Doctor lost control.

"What, by killing?!" He shouted, causing Hame to flinch away.

Before Hame could respond, another voice spoke. "Killing, torture, beatings, the list goes on." The Doctor looked past Hame to see a woman standing behind her in a pair of scrubs and a surgical mask.

"Tell me Novice Hame," Cassandra piped up, "Have you heard of the Sisterhood's beloved Patient Zero?" She asked, smirking at the woman behind Hame, who paled as she turned to stare at the woman.

"No…" The novice mumbled, taking a step backwards as the woman slowly removed her scrub cap and mask.

"For over ten years your Sisterhood has starved, poisoned and beaten me in hopes of obtaining my longevity." She whispered, while the Doctor gaped in shock at the woman.

"Well, that time is over." She finished before lunging at Novice Hame. The Doctor rushed forward and tackled the woman to the floor.

"Aneres, stop! Aneres I'm here!" He shouted at the struggling woman beneath him. At the sound of her name from his lips, Aneres suddenly froze, and the Doctor took the opportunity to enter her mind.

"Aneres…" He whispered, watching as her emerald green eyes filled with tears. "Theta…" she whispered back, the tears sliding down her cheeks. The Doctor slowly rose into a sitting position, pulling her into his arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He gasped out, tears welling in his own eyes. "I thought you had died," he continued, clutching to Aneres' slim figure. "Not quite yet," Aneres murmured, clutching to him, until she stiffened.

Hame let out a yowl and lunged, her claws ripping across Aneres' back as she rolled the Doctor over to protect him. A shout of pain erupted from the woman, forcing the Doctor back to reality. Cassandra rushed forward, spraying perfume in the Novice's face and pushing her towards the stairs, just as Sister Jatt entered the room. The Doctor and Aneres stood, sending grateful glances to Cassandra as the Doctor inspected the small scratches Aneres had received.

"Mankind needed us," Jatt whispered, stepping over Hame's body while gazing at the cubicles. "They came to this planet with so many illnesses. We couldn't cope. We did try. We tried everything. We tried using clone-meat and bio-cattle, but the results were too slow, so the Sisterhood grew its own flesh. That's all they are. Flesh." Jatt murmured, avoiding Aneres with all she could.

"These people are alive, and she is so much more than flesh!" The Doctor shouted, gesturing to Aneres as Cassandra sneered at Jatt.

"But think of those Humans out there, healthy and happy, because of us." Jatt continued, trying to convince herself that they had been in the right.

"If they live because of this, then life is worthless." The Doctor murmured coldly, glaring at the nun.

"But who are you to decide that?" Jatt asked, raising an eyebrow at the man and women.

"He's the Doctor, and I am Aneres. And if you don't like it, if you want to take it to a higher authority, then there isn't one. It stops with us." The Time Lady spat, her eyes glowing with a fiery emerald rage.

"Just to confirm. None of the humans in the city actually know about this?" Cassandra asked, looking to Aneres for confirmation, who gave a slight nod.

"Hold on. I can understand the bodies. I can understand your vows. One thing I can't understand. What have you done to Rose?" The Doctor asked, cutting off Jatt's explanation and causing Aneres to stiffen.

"I don't know what you mean." The nun stammered, genuinely confused as the Doctor continued, "And I'm being very, very calm. You want to be aware of that. Very, very calm. And the only reason I'm being so very, very calm is that the brain is a delicate thing. Whatever you've done to Rose's head, I want it reversed." He demanded, staring down the nun.

Aneres softly piped up, "They haven't done anything to her Doctor," He looked down to meet her gaze, picking up on the emphasis of they.

"I'm perfectly fine," Cassandra said, attempting to distract the Doctor as he pulled away from Aneres.

"These people are dying, and Rose would care," The Doctor said, angry and confused as he stared down at Aneres.

"Oh, all right, clever clogs. Smarty pants. Lady-killer." Cassandra moved forward, her voice turning sensual, much to Aneres' simultaneous amusement and displeasure.

"What's happened to you?" The Doctor demanded, looking between the two women.

"We knew something was going on in this hospital, but we needed this body and your mind to find it out." Cassandra explained, "Especially since she was too weak to use at the time," She continued, gesturing to Aneres.

"Who are you?" He asked, glaring at Cassandra. "The last human," She whispered, immediately giving away her identity. "Cassandra?" he exclaimed, utterly confused.

"Wake up and smell the perfume," Cassandra smiled before spritzing him with the perfume.

"You've hurt him. I don't understand. I'll have to fetch Matron." Jatt stammered, her eyes flicking between Cassandra and Aneres. "You do that, because I want to see her. Now, run along. Sound the alarm!" Cassandra shouted before ripping out some cables and setting off a loud alarm.

Aneres tucked her arms under the Doctor's and starting pulling him to the ventilation duct where Chip had emerged. "Took you long enough!" Aneres shouted with a smile, passing the Doctor for Chip to pull into the vents.

"Stay here with Cassandra, if you end up enacting Plan B, come back to the basement room and I'll help. For now I'm going to head there so this one is out of the line of fire." Aneres explained, going back into the vents. Cassandra gaped at Aneres in shock and terror, "Don't leave me!" She screamed.

"Oh come on you're clever enough without me and I'll be in your head anyways!" Aneres replied, tugging the Doctor through the vents while Chip and Cassandra prepared themselves.

TEotOS

"Finally!" Aneres shouted as she pushed the Doctor into their hideaway, the wheelchair squeaking all the while.

The Doctor suddenly awoke, massaging his ears and temples, "Dear God you still shout that loudly?" He whined, turning to look at her.

Aneres raised one of her eyebrows, "How would you feel after dragging another Time Lord through ventilation ducts for a while and then finally being able to rest?" She snarked, a playful smile on her face while the Doctor contemplated her words.

"Well I'd be very confused as to why you're helping Cassandra and letting my companion be possessed." He said, his own eyebrow raising to stare at her.

"If you're not okay with taking revenge and extraordinary measures to escape then you're not going to like the rest of this explanation," Aneres said, plopping down on a chair to face the Doctor.

"It doesn't matter if I like it Annie, you've been trapped here for so long, and I didn't…" The Doctor choked slightly, a lump growing in his throat. Aneres moved to kneel in front of the Doctor, her hands cupping his cheeks.

"It is not your fault, I jumped, I ran away." The Doctor shut his eyes, pain filling his body at the reminder. "You stayed strong, you fought for our people until the very end," Aneres continued, moving to rest her forehead against his.

The Doctor reached up, holding Aneres' hand tightly. "When we get to the TARDIS, after this whole mess is over, tell me everything." He whispered, staring into her eyes. Aneres sighed and nodded before pressing a kiss to his forehead and rising back to her feet.

"I'm going to fill him in, be ready for him to be furious." Aneres whispered into Cassandra's mind, only to hear "We had to activate plan B, coming your way!" shrieked across the connection. Aneres cut the connection and looked back to the Doctor.

"Cassandra had to go with our backup plan, so she'll be here in a bit for us to go." She explained, before taking a seat. "Now I need to explain how we got to this point. Cassandra came here before I did, and hid in this hospital after her encounter with your ninth self. When I found myself here, I was alone, with no one to talk to, and I would've gone insane had I not found Cassandra's mental signal. She kept me company, and helped release me in exchange for a way for her to live on past her skin self." Aneres finished, staring at the Doctor.

"So she's using Rose to achieve that goal?" The Doctor asked, his protective instincts rising up.

Aneres shook her head, "That was out of convenience because of her closeness to you. I have a plan for her permanent body, and it is most certainly not your companion's body." She assured the Doctor, about to elaborate when the doors slammed open to reveal Cassandra being chased by the infected. The blonde quickly shut and bolted the doors, whirling around to see a displeased Doctor and tired Aneres.

"We're trapped! What am I going to do?" Cassandra screeched, running over to Aneres and grabbing on for dear life.

"Well, for starters, you're going to leave that body. That psychograft is banned on every civilised planet. You're compressing Rose to death!" The Doctor shouted, ignoring the horrified shout from Aneres.

"But I've got nowhere to go. My original skin's dead." Cassandra spat, her eyes alight with fury. "Not my problem. You can float as atoms in the air. Now, get out. Give her back to me." The Doctor retorted, holding up his screwdriver.

Aneres growled slightly and said, "Alright then, come on in Cassandra" while opening her arms. The Doctor paled in terror, watching Aneres beckon Cassandra into her, despite the latter's protests.

"Fine, stay in Rose! Just… don't go into Aneres." He shouted, moving between the two women. Cassandra let out a relieved sigh, wincing as Rose starting screaming at her mentally.

"You cow let me go!" Rose screamed, staring through Cassandra's eyes at the Doctor and that other woman. "I need to go back to him! He's mine, Cassandra let me out!" She continued, sobbing as the Doctor moved to wrap his arms around that other woman. "Doctor please, don't leave me here! Bring me back, please!" She sniffled, her breathing picking up as Cassandra forced her away, locking her away from the Doctor.

Hellloooo everyone! I know I said updates would only happen every other week, but I didn't know how the next two weeks were going to play out so I thought I'd publish this tonight. If you could leave a review so I can improve, I'd appreciate it! Other than that feel free to PM me with questions or suggestions.


	3. New Earth: New Lives to Live

The Doctor glared at Aneres, his previous fears melting into a white-hot rage that shone in his eyes like a burning log. He threw down his mental shields, snarling at Aneres through their long silent connection. "Rose is not a plaything for you to use against me just because you don't get your way. Cassandra has no right to go into her mind and force her into captivity like some animal." His voice echoed in Aneres' mind, rage flowing through it like magma.

"Cassandra is the only reason I am here, speaking to you, seeing you, forgive me for wanting to keep the one promise I made in return for that assistance," Aneres growled, her own eyes locked on his. The Doctor ran his hands through his hair, frantically searching the room for another option, anything at all.

"Doctor, she either goes into me, or she goes into you, or she stays in Rose. You won't let the first of those happen, and I would never allow the second, so it seems like the third is the only option we have at the moment." The Doctor whirled around at Aneres' words, disgusted at the truth that lay within them. Before he could retort, however, the doors were thrown open to reveal hundreds of ill people.

Cassandra shrieked, "Oh god what do we do? Oh god!" Aneres shook her head, grabbing Cassandra and running for the ladder at the back of the room.

"Come on, we have to go up!" She shouted, shaking the Doctor from his stupor and into a dead sprint to the ladder and up the metal rungs. Aneres scampered up the rungs, with Cassandra just above her, until a thought made her stop.

"Cassandra, go into one of them!" She shouted, gesturing at the sickly humans climbing up the ladder after them.

"Are you bloody mad?!" Cassandra screamed, a narcissistic horror running through her, "They're disgusting-" She continued, only to be cut off by Aneres' retort, "Cassandra I swear to all the deities in this universe if you do not go into one of them I will yank you out of there myself!"

The blonde winced, the reality of the threat hitting her with full force before she nodded and lept from Rose. The Doctor gaped, watching Rose's body sway slightly, her mind too exhausted to keep up. "Rose!" He screamed, terror running through his two hearts.

Aneres growled, "Oh no you don't Rosie," just as the blonde tipped back, Aneres moved up to support her with one arm while the other held herself steady.

"Okay Rose, I know that you're probably in a lot of pain right now and I do apologize for that, but for right now you have to push past it so we can get up," Aneres explained, watching Rose's eyes flutter slightly.

Slowly, Rose came to and stared at Aneres in shock and anger. "You're one of them!" She shouted, attempting to push Aneres away from her.

"Yes yes, we get that, but that doesn't matter if you don't move and end up getting us all killed!" The latter snapped back, forcing Rose's body up a couple of steps. "Move!" She shouted again, ignoring the hatred the blonde clearly bore for her.

With another huff, Rose scampered up the ladder and got into the lift. Aneres looked down to see the Doctor with his mouth hanging open in an incredulous smile. "Don't thank me yet Theta. I still have to figure out how to keep Cassandra happy." Aneres murmured before cutting the connection and going up the rest of the ladder, followed by a confused and upset Doctor.

Rose watched as the woman, Aneres she believed, crawled into the lift just before the Doctor. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the man, who quickly ran over to make sure she was okay. Aneres, however, stuck her head out of the lift to shout down, "Cassandra just stay in that body until we can come to find you. We need to fix this first and you can't touch any of us without killing us."

Cassandra nodded in understanding, "I'll find you in the lobby, that seems to be where this lot is attempting to go anyways!" She replied, moving back down the ladder.

Aneres nodded, "I'm sorry Cassandra, I know this isn't what we planned." Cassandra merely laughed and said, "Beats being dead darling! I better see you safe and sound after this, okay?" Aneres laughed at the woman and gave her a thumbs up before stepping back into the lift and allowing the Doctor to shut the doors.

"Annie…" The Doctor whispered, managing to get past her walls given how emotional everyone was.

"Don't," Aneres said softly, walking away from the Doctor and his companion to open the lift doors and head into Ward 26, where she was greeted by a VERY angry redhead with a metal stool lifted up above her head. A rather undignified squeak escaped her as she ducked out of the way.

"We're safe! We're safe! We're safe! We're clean! We're clean! Look, look," The Doctor shouted, glaring at Frau Clovis while holding his hands out. "Show me your skin," Clovis spat, glaring back at all of them in fear.

"Look, clean. Look, if we'd been touched, we'd be dead." The Doctor pulled his sleeves down to show his arms while Rose and Aneres held theirs about their heads.

"So how's it going up here? What's the status?" He continued, rushing over to the distraught woman.

"There's nothing but silence from the other wards. I think we're the only ones left." Clovis whispered, looking down at the ground. The Doctor rubbed her back gently, listening to her and nodding in understanding, until her following statement.

"And I've been trying to override the quarantine. If I can trip a signal over to New New York, they can send a private executive squad." At that both him and Aneres starting shouting in horror.

"You can't do that. If they forced entry, they'd break quarantine." She shouted, moving over to Clovis.

"I am not dying in here." Clovis spat, a droplet getting in Aneres' face.

"We can't let a single particle of disease get out. There are ten million people in that city. They'd all be at risk. Now, turn that off!" The Doctor shouted, pulling Aneres back to tower over Clovis's petite form.

"Not if it gets me out." She whispered harshly before turning on her heel with her communicator.

"All right, fine. So I have to stop you lot as well. Suits me." The Doctor breathed, rushing into the Ward.

"Rose, Aneres, everyone! Excuse me, your Grace." He apologized, grabbing IV bags from every patient he could spot.

"Get him intravenous solutions for every single disease. Move it!" Aneres shouted, the nurses left on the floor immediately obeying, as well as some patients.

Once they had enough, Aneres started tying them onto the Doctor's body with a length of rope. "How's that? Will that do?" He asked, looking down at her. A chuckle escaped her, a sparkle coming to her emerald eyes.

"For what you want to do? Yes, you have more than enough." Aneres replied, standing on her tiptoes to hug him tightly. Rose glared at them until the Doctor made eye contact with him over Aneres' shoulder and she quickly smiled, hoping he hadn't noticed.

The Doctor sighed, choosing to ignore that glare from Rose as it was pretty justified given what Cassandra had put her through. Aneres tensed and withdrew from the hug before going over to the lifts and forcing the doors over.

Rose and the Doctor approached as well, "The lifts aren't working," Rose spat, smirking at Aneres before frowning at the smug grin on the raven-haired beauty.

"Not moving. Different thing." Aneres drawled, pulling back from the doors to let The Doctor get set up. Rose scowled at the woman, her lips pulling back in a slight sneer as her counterpart merely smiled insincerely, until they were both distracted by the Doctor running and jumping onto the lift cable.

Aneres gaped, her heart in her throat and her fingers shaking ever so slightly. "Come on, I need an extra set of hands," The Doctor called, looking right past Aneres to Rose's chocolate brown eyes. The former sighed and turned on her heel, walking away while Rose jumped onto the Doctor's back, missing the frown on his face.

TEotOS

Aneres walked over to the patients her hands held out in a non-threatening gesture, a kind smile on her lips as she explained their situation. She made her way from patient to patient, handing out cups of water, even just sitting and talking with some of them to reassure them. An angry hiss was the only noise that distracted her, and brought her attention to a very dizzy and unsteady Matron Casp at the entrance of the Ward.

"Well, well, well. You've shown up just in time for the grand finale," Aneres murmured, watching as Cassandra in her current body approached the nun from behind.

"You've destroyed so much, how long before someone destroys you?" Casp demanded, spittle flying at the door.

"A lot longer than you I believe." Aneres murmured with a delighted smile as Cassandra lunged, wrapping her hands around the nun's neck. Casp screamed, writhing in pain as her system was suddenly flooded with thousands of diseases and infections. Aneres smiled at Cassandra in thanks as the Matron was released from her grip, dead and on the floor. Cassandra smiled back before heading back to the lifts and climbing down a ladder in the shaft.

TEotOS

The Doctor quickly ripped the IV bags from the rope and bit them open before spraying them into a basin attached to the lift for disinfecting those that rode the lifts. Rose watched, smiling at his genius, until a dark thought crossed her mind.

"Doctor," She murmured, "Who is Aneres?" The Time Lord froze, his eyes falling shut as every title his people had for what Aneres was to him flew through his thoughts. His lungs took in a deep breath and his eyes slowly opened.

"It's complicated Rose," The blonde scoffed, "She's one of my people, and I can't share every detail with you because my people never allowed it." He continued, raising an eyebrow at her furious expression.

"So, what just because I'm human you can't tell me things?" She shouted, inciting a wince from the Doctor while he dumped the last IV bag into the basin. Without another word he removed his jacket and opened the top of the lift.

"Hold that lever Rose, and don't let it close," He said softly, but the sight of Rose not moving towards the lever gave him pause. "Rose, I need you to hold that lever," The Doctor repeated, staring at the woman who refused to meet his eyes.

"Move over blondie," a familiar voice resounded from slightly above them in the shaft. They looked up to see Cassandra in the infected woman climbing down towards them. Rose screamed and backed away from the basin, pressing her body against the wall while the infected woman stepped down onto the lift.

She moved forward and whispered, "Doctor, you need to hold the lever. In the off chance this doesn't work, it is best for me to be down there, not you."

The Doctor stared at Cassandra, about to protest, "Doctor, think. If I die, she will move on with time, but not with you. If you die, she might not survive that." She continued, standing a couple feet behind him.

A sigh escaped the Doctor, and he hoisted himself back onto the top of the lift. "Why? Why risk yourself?" He demanded, staring Cassandra down, even though he knew the answer.

"Because Aneres doesn't deserve the pain of losing someone this important to her," The Doctor nodded slowly and moved to hold the lever while Cassandra hopped down into the lift and opened the door.

Cassandra smiled at all of the sick people in the lobby, exactly where she had left them. "Come and get me. Come on!" She called, holding her arms open and watching as they slowly shuffled over to her.

"Pull that lever, Doctor!" She shouted, smiling as the mixed solution sprayed all over her. Human after human came and embraced her before parting and hugging others amongst them.

"Pass it on!" She squealed, "Pass it on!" The Doctor poked his head down and gasped as each human started losing their symptoms, including Cassandra.

"It's working! Rose, it's working!" He cheered, looking over at his companion, only to see a frown on her face and her eyes staring at the wall. His smile fell and turned to keep watching Cassandra pass on the cure.

TEotOS

Aneres and the other patients gasped as the doors opened, signalling the end of the hospital's quarantine. Frau Clovis promptly burst into tears, clutching to another patient as she was wracked with heavy sobs. Aneres slowly led the patients back to their beds, checking up on them as she went, until she reached the Face of Boe. She slowly tapped the containers that regulated the smoke and smiled to see that they were all functioning properly.

"Alright everyone, I need to go downstairs and check on my friends," The Ward erupted in protests, still incredibly shaken by everything that had happened. "Don't worry everyone I will be back," Aneres continued, smiling at everyone reassuringly.

"The Doctor will want to make sure you all are okay as well, and the police will most likely want to speak with you." She explained before moving to the lifts and making her way back to the lobby.

Upon arrival she was quickly embraced by a healthy-looking Cassandra. "Oh thank God you're okay!" She cried, clutching Cassandra close to her body.

The latter laughed in delight, "We cured them all! Aneres, look!" She said, pulling away from Aneres to show her exactly what they had accomplished. The Doctor watched, a gentle smile on his face as Aneres gasped and ran to every new human and started checking on them, one by one.

Cassandra slowly walked over and whispered, "We did it, Doctor." He chuckled, "Yes, we did," and turned to face her. Cassandra smiled at him,

"Who'd have thought that we'd end up being allies at the end?" He asked. "I think she did," Cassandra murmured, gesturing at Aneres with pride.

"That's right. Hey, there we go, sweetheart." Aneres whispered, hugging a young woman gently.

"Go to him. Go on, that's it. That's it." She continued, ushering her over to a young man who locked a little lost.

"It's a new sub-species, Cassandra." Aneres crowed in delight, turning to face the woman. "A brand new form of life. New humans! Look at them. Look!" She continued, bouncing up and down in excitement.

"Grown by cats, kept in the dark, fed by tubes, but completely, completely alive. You can't deny them, because you helped create them." Aneres pointed out smugly, enjoying the laugh that escaped Cassandra.

"How could I deny these darling things?" Cassandra crooned, hugging one of the younger women close to her.

"The human race just keeps on going, keeps on changing. Life will out! Ha!" The Doctor piped up, beaming at Aneres, none of them acknowledging Rose standing by the lifts.

TEotOS

Aneres, Cassandra, Rose and the Doctor made their way back to Ward 26, smiling at the NNYPD and guiding them to some of the more traumatized patients.

As they looked around, the Doctor suddenly exclaimed, "The Face of Boe!" before breaking into a sprint towards the corner of the room. "You were supposed to be dying." He breathed out, resting his hand on the glass case the Face rested in.

"There are better things to do today. Dying can wait." The Face of Boe replied, a small smile pulling his lips up at the corners.

"Oh, I hate telepathy. Just what I need, a head full of big face," Rose mumbled, a residual headache from Cassandra worsening at his voice.

"Shh!" Aneres and Cassandra whispered before focusing on the low voice in their minds.

"I have grown tired with the universe, Doctor, but you have taught me to look at it anew." The Face of Boe continued, staring at the Doctor.

"There are legends, you know, saying that you're millions of years old." The Doctor replied, a giddy excitement seeping into his voice. Aneres smiled fondly at the Time Lord, and moved to place her hand on his shoulder. The Doctor turned to smile at her before the Face of Boe commanded his attention once again.

"There are? That would be impossible." He chuckled, smiling at the Doctor.

"Wouldn't it just." The Doctor replied softly, looking down for a second, "I got the impression there was something you wanted to tell me." He continued, searching the Face of Boe's face for clues.

"A great secret." The Face murmured, his smile falling ever so slightly. "So the legend says." The Doctor nodded, not noticing the change in expression.

"It can wait." The Face sighed, his eyes slowly blinking. "Oh, does it have to?" The Doctor pouted, causing Aneres to chuckle.

"We shall meet again, Doctor, for the third time, for the last time, and the truth shall be told. Until that day…" The Face of Boe explained before teleporting away, and leaving them to contemplate his words.

"That is enigmatic. That, that is, that is textbook enigmatic." The Doctor murmured before standing up to face Cassandra.

"And now for you." Cassandra paled at his words. Aneres quickly interjected before the Doctor could say anything. "I have an idea, just hear me out." The Doctor sighed, but nodded and listened.

"Cassandra saved those humans, just as much as you and I did." Aneres explained.

"Hey I helped too!" Rose shouted, "Oh? By NOT holding the lever? And throwing temper tantrums?" Cassandra sked, her voice sickeningly sweet.

"You two, shut up." Aneres shouted, turning back to the Doctor. "What if we have Cassandra transfer into someone who has undergone brain death? There would be no consciousness to suppress, and we could bring her here to help the new humans get acclimated as a sort of penance." She rambled, staring up at the Doctor. Cassandra's mouth dropped open at the idea, it was genius! The Doctor slowly mulled it over, before slowly nodding.

"We'd come to check on your work of course," Aneres interected, "And to visit!" The Doctor rolled his eyes before continuing. "But, that does seem like a plausible solution," He finished, his words cut off by a strong hug from Cassandra.

"Thank you, Doctor." She whispered, looking up to him with tears in her eyes.

Aneres smiled and hugged her as well, "I told you we would work everything out." She whispered in Cassandra's ear. Then her eyes were dragged to a familiar face.

"Chip!" She cried, causing Cassandra to turn and run over to the clone. Aneres rushed after her, joining in on the hug.

"I kept myself safe, for you two." Chip whispered, an adoring smile on his face as he stared at Aneres and Cassandra.

Aneres laughed and hugged him tighter, "Oh, Chip… I'm so happy you're okay." Cassandra murmured before pulling away. The clone chuckled, "I am happy to see you both as well, but what is going to happen to us now?" He asked, staring at Cassandra in worry.

"We decided that Cassandra will be transferring into a patient that underwent brain death, and you both will stay here to ensure that the new humans are acclimated to society and treated fairly." Aneres explained, watching excitement grow in his pale blue eyes.

Rose scowled at the trio, hatred festering for what they had put her through. The Doctor glared at her, "If it weren't for them we wouldn't have been able to save those humans," He whispered harshly, making Rose look away in shame.

"Everyone," The Doctor called, bringing the trio over to him and Rose, "We need to find Cassandra a body, get her working with the new humans, and then we need to leave," He explained, noting the twinge of sadness that hit Aneres.

Cassandra nodded and led the way over to a terminal to find which Ward they would need to go to.

TEotOS

They arrived in Ward 10, and were greeted by the sight of men, women and children lying in beds and connected to ventilators. Cassandra made her way around the ward until she spotted a women with raven hair lying in a bed. She couldn't have been older than 25, with alabaster skin, and about five foot, six inches. "This one," Cassandra murmured, Aneres and Chip standing behind her.

"Okay, I'm going to take out the machinery first, and then you will be okay to enter her mind," Aneres explained, moving forward to remove the tubes and machines connected to her.

Cassandra nodded, "Doctor, I'm going to need you to hold this body up," Cassandra whispered. "I've been in control for a while, she will be undoubtedly confused," The Doctor nodded in understanding and moved forward to brace Cassandra by the shoulders. Aneres then moved away from the woman, and gestured for Cassandra to make the jump. A burst of energy escaped from the new human as Cassandra moved into her new body, immediately opening her new eyes and gasping for air.

Aneres smiled at the sight and slowly helped Cassandra out of bed. "You're lucky these nuns had ways of preventing muscle decay," She murmured, watching as Cassandra stood on her own and smiled at them. The Doctor stood off to the side, comforting the incredibly confused human while Rose stood several feet back from them.

"Another one saved," Aneres said, smiling at the Doctor, who beamed at her.

"Mistress," Chip piped up, holding out a pair of scrubs for Cassandra to change into. "Once you get changed, we'll get you set up to help out with the new humans," Aneres whispered, closing the curtains to give her some privacy.

TEotOS

The Doctor, Aneres and Rose stood back as Cassandra introduced herself to the NNYPD using the psychic paper. The officer immediately led her over to a Sargent, who handed her various folders with the catalogued information they had gleaned from the new humans. A piece of paper with an address for an apartment complex soon followed, a gift from the Duke of Manhattan to help these new life forms. Cassandra smiled and walked back over to her, Chip following close behind.

"This is where we part ways, dear," Cassandra whispered, hugging Aneres tightly and kissing her cheek.

Aneres sobbed softly, hugging her and Chip closely. "I love you both, you're going to do great things here, I know it," She whispered, kissing their cheeks before pulling away.

"Good luck Cassandra, Chip," The Doctor said, smiling at them proudly, "You've really changed for the better." They both smiled at the praise before waving goodbye and walking over to their new charges, the Time Lords and human walking out of the hospital and back to the Tardis.

TEotOS

Rose stormed into the Tardis and off to her room, unable to look at the Doctor and that woman without feeling an incurable rage. The Doctor sighed and faced Aneres, his hands twitching as he fought the urge to embrace her.

His chocolate brown eyes met her emerald green ones and he whispered, "I thought I would never see you again, after the War," He whispered, taking a step towards her. Aneres moved towards him as well, taking his hands in hers.

"I am here now, and I'm not leaving you anytime soon," She whispered, moving closer so they were only a few inches apart. The Doctor sobbed in relief, pulling her close and breathing in her familiar scent.

"I-I," The Doctor stammered, his tears running down Aneres' neck. "Shh, I'm here, I'm here," She whispered, holding him close as he cried.

"We need time, you and I, to get used to this," Aneres continued. "You've been alone, for so long, unused to what we have together," The Doctor sobbed and nodded slowly.

Aneres tilted his head up to look into his eyes. "We'll take the time, time to grow close, to be as intertwined as we were," The Doctor smiled at her words, his face wet with tears.

"You're my Tether," He whispered, "my hearts, my soul, my every thought," The Doctor recited, bring tears to Aneres' eyes.

"And you are my Tether, my hearts," She rested a hand to his chest, feeling his hearts beat, "my soul, my every thought," She finished, pressing her forehead to his as their minds merged, relishing in each other's presence.

Hellllooooo my darling readers! So, now we've finished New Earth, and we found out what Aneres is to the Doctor! I'll be explaining more about what a Tether is as chapters go on, especially with some non-episode chapters where they can bond outside of an adventure. What did you guys think about my solution for Cassandra, about the whole chapter as a whole? Please leave a review, I'd greatly appreciate it and if you have any questions then shoot me a PM! Love you all and I hope you have a great day!

.


	4. Reconnecting

Aneres smiled, her mental tendrils wrapping around the Doctor's, their bond singing with the energy of time and space that every Time Lord and Lady carried within them. "Of all the people to survive," She whispered, opening her eyes to stare into the Doctor's eyes, "I'm so glad it's us two." The Doctor nodded slightly at her words, his arms wrapping around her even tighter while he inhaled her scent.

"Your eyes still haven't changed, but everything else has," He whispered, pulling back to truly look at her face.

Aneres smiled, "Your smile is very similar, but not quite the same," The Doctor mused, his thumb running across her bottom lip slowly. His hand then caressed her cheek on its way to her hair, which twirled around his fingers like raven colored vines.

"I like this hair color on you," He crooned, removing his hand from her hair to run it up and down her back. A blush covered Aneres' cheeks, a sparkle coming to her eyes as she assessed him slowly.

"You've always had more volatile changes in your regenerations," She whispered, smiling at all the changes since she had seen him last.

"But that sparkle," Aneres smiled, "That sparkle you always get when you look at me? That hasn't changed," She finished, staring into his eyes. "Your hair, however, has changed a lot!" Aneres giggled, running her hands through it. "Look, it's all spikey now, like a little hedgehog!"

The Doctor pouted at her words, "I am not a hedgehog!" He whined, eliciting a cackle from Aneres.

"No, you aren't, but clearly one is living on your head!" She joked, ruffling his hair and bringing a smile to his lips.

"Well if my hair is a hedgehog then yours is a river of night," The Doctor murmured, leaning in so that his lips pressed against her temple. Aneres blushed, her eyes peeking out at him from under her thick lashes.

"We should stop," She suddenly whispered, pulling away from the Doctor's arms. He frowned at her, his arms dropping to the side with confusion in eyes.

"Annie," Aneres shut her eyes, trying her best to ignore the pet name, "Why are you pulling away?" He asked, taking a step towards her.

"You've thought I was dead for centuries, that your Tether was gone," Aneres mumbled, "And you gradually moved on from that loss until you were trying to save people and I suddenly reappeared in your life."

The Doctor opened his mouth, about to protest, "No, I need you to listen to me," Aneres interrupted, "You've always been someone that's had conflicts with the Tether, it's just how you are because of what it entails. You hate prioritizing someone over anyone else, you care about everyone, which goes against the entirety of the bond unless you and the Tether have children together." She continued, watching as the Doctor looked down in shame at the truth of her words.

"I will stay here with you. You are my Tether, I will support and love and prioritize you, but I can't let you be affectionate to me and watch you die inside as you have to fight everything you believe in." Aneres finished, still staring at the Doctor's face.

He sighed and looked up at the ceiling as tears shone in his eyes. "Sometimes, I wish that it wasn't so complicated. That I could be exactly what our bond needs." He whispered, a lump in his throat.

"Stop. You are all that I need, I love that you care so much, that you are so kind." Aneres interjected, "The only thing that makes this complicated is this extra little detail that amplifies every damn primal instinct in our biology." She ranted, moving back over to the Doctor.

Slowly, the Doctor nodded and murmured, "So, you'll give me time to adjust?"

Aneres nodded and smiled, "As long as you need." He leaned in and hugged her gently, but quickly.

"Do you want me to get you a room?" The Doctor asked, pulling away from the hug. Aneres smiled, her eyes dimming slightly at the thought of not being able to sleep with him like she used to.

"That would be great, I haven't had a decent night's sleep in years," She murmured, staring at the floors and walls of the Tardis as he led her down various hallways. The Doctor froze, recalling exactly why Aneres hadn't slept properly in a very long time. A wince came from the woman at her blasé statement, and she turned to face the Doctor.

"Aneres, I need to know… I need to know what happened to you," He whispered, staring down into her pain filled eyes.

"Once we get to the room I can tell you," She murmured, moving further down the hallway until they reached a room with her true Gallifreyan name above the door. A smile came to her lips, "I never thought I would see my name in writing again," Her fingers drifted up to the carving as she spoke, running her fingers across the writing.

The Tardis hummed and opened the door, revealing a room with white, hardwood flooring, burnt orange walls, and a window that showed a projection of various parts of space. They entered the room and saw a bed with various blue blankets, a bookshelf, a desk, and a hammock in the back corner.

Aneres chuckled and murmured, "It feels like home." The Doctor smiled down at her words, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. A sigh escaped Aneres as they both sat down on her bed, facing each other and holding hands.

"As you saw, in the final days of the War, I fell through the Untempered Schism and was hurtled across time and space, with no way out." Aneres began, tracing patterns on the back of the Doctor's hand.

"I fell for ages, never eating, drinking, or sleeping as time and space raged around me in a hurricane. Finally, I was spat out onto New Earth a few years after the humans had arrived on the planet." The Doctor paled at the thought of his Annie literally falling through time and space, an event which would kill someone.

"The Sisterhood found me, broken and bleeding on their front lawn and took me in to heal my wounds. At the time, Matron Casp was merely a Sister and the Sisterhood was governed by Matron Plaj, a rather kind feline," Aneres murmured, a fond smile appearing at the thought of the woman.

"However, she passed away a month later after contracting a disease from one of the humans, and that broke the then Sister Casp." The Doctor frowned while Aneres took a deep breath and continued.

"It wasn't the first time a member of the Sisterhood had passed on from the diseases, but it had never happened to someone as beloved as Matron Plaj. That was when Casp created the Intensive Care unit, and decided to take me prisoner in hopes that I would be an ideal test subject for their cures."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed, "When was this?" He asked.

"This was the year five billion and ten, about 13 years before I found you." Aneres whispered, a single tear slipping down her cheek. All the air left the Doctor's lungs.

"You were there, for thirteen years…?" He whispered, staring down at his Tether.

Aneres looked up at him, tears streaming down her face, "Thirteen years of torture, with little to no company until I discovered Cassandra's presence in the hospital." Tears poured out of the Doctor's eyes, his arms wrapping around Aneres and holding her tightly as she sobbed, all the pain she had tried to repress coming up to the surface. Apologies flooded her ears and mind, their emotions breaking any barriers between their minds and allowing them to meld together.

"Where is Sister Casp?" The Doctor suddenly growled across her mind, his horror and fear for his Tether morphing into an uncontrollable anger towards her main captor and torturer.

"Cassandra took care of her, back on New Earth," Aneres whispered back, clinging to the comforting feeling of his mind pressed against hers.

"You should have left her to me," The Doctor growled, using his actual voice this time around.

Aneres sighed and looked up at him, her tears drying, "And have her blood on your hands?" The Doctor froze, realizing the implications.

The Time Lady smiled at him sadly, "I know you care, and I know you are angry, but she is gone, I am here, and you do not need to kill for me. I would never ask that of you." She said gently, cupping his cheeks in her hands.

"You were never one to kill, even in the War. You tried to save whoever you could and nothing should change that, especially now that there isn't a War," She continued.

"You took a vow when you chose the Doctor as your name, just as I took Aneres. You promised to help people, anyone you could help, you would, and you have stayed true to that, even in regards to your enemies." Aneres finished, staring into his eyes.

"Be that as it may, you have been my Tether since the day we were born and that means I am supposed to love, protect, and care for you from this day to the end of my days," The Doctor muttered, overwhelming guilt filling his body.

Aneres sighed, but was unable to say anything to contradict him. She could tell him it wasn't his fault till she was blue in the face, but both of their instincts told them it was his fault. A Tether was a sacred bond that only ten percent of Time Lords had the opportunity to experience, it started from birth and only ended with death. Your Tether was driven to love, protect and care for you above all else, and it transcended their physical form with an intense mental connection. Aneres stared at the Doctor, their bond pulling them towards each other, aching to heal itself after so much time apart.

"I think you should go," Aneres whispered, ignoring the ache in her chest as she stood and moved away from him. "You need time to process, I'll see you in the morning," She continued, looking at the floor. The Doctor rose from the bed and moved toward her to press a kiss to her forehead before leaving the room.

TEotOs

Rose stood just outside the door, watching as the Doctor kissed that woman so tenderly, her eyes alight with pain. "Why her? I've been here for him after the War, not her… He's mine, my Doctor," Her mind hissed, venom dripping from her thoughts. Her eye twitched, her hands clenched into fists and caused her palms to be sliced open by her fingernails. She was soon shaken from her rage by the Doctor moving towards the door, and scampered back to her room.

"He'll see," She mused, glaring down at the floor as she sat on her bed. "He'll see that I am what he needs, not that woman" A crazed glint entered her brown eyes as she got under the blankets, dreams of her and the Doctor carrying her off to sleep.

TEotOS

The Doctor did not make his way back to his room, but rather to the console room where he collapsed into the captain's chair. His eyes stared at his hands, hands that should have made sure that she was safe. After watching her fall through the Untempered Schism, seeing the gunfire, he had assumed the worst, and seen his whole world shatter before his eyes. Their home had been burned, bodies had littered the fields. But, the whole time he was mourning her and the rest of their families, she had been alive; tortured, beaten, but completely alive, and alone. The Tardis hummed, attempting to comfort her beloved Pilot as he attempted to reconcile the events of the day.

"I failed her. I'm her Tether, and I failed her," He whispered, leaning back as more tears fell from his eyes. Doubts began to run through his mind, the bond screaming at him for having left her alone, his hearts tightening at the thought.

"You assumed she was dead, instead of searching the universe when you didn't die after she did," His mind hissed, the bond burning with pain unlike any physical injury he had sustained. Sobs escaped as he continued to be punished, his body curling in on itself as everything burned with an ice cold fire of guilt.

TEotOS

Aneres lay in her bed, a pillow clutched to her chest as she attempted to sleep. Her eyes closed for no more than a second before she was flooded with memories of the hospital and the War, forcing her eyes to open again. She took deep breaths, tugging the blankets up to her chin with shaking hands as she tried to find some warmth. Aneres sniffed slightly, rubbing her nose and shaking under the five blankets she had piled on top of her. This continued for hours as she kept trying to force herself to sleep, but was halted by her horrible memories, until her body gave out from exhaustion and she passed out.

TEotOS

Rose slept peacefully in bed, smiling in her sleep as she dreamed...

She and the Doctor were back in the Tardis, just the two of them, after their adventure on New Earth. The Doctor had forced Cassandra to take over that other woman, Aneres, and set Rose free from the pain of keeping her inside. "Doctor," Cassandra whimpered, but with Aneres' inflection. With a glare he turned away from her and rushed over to Rose's side immediately. Aneres dropped to the ground, clutching her skull in pain and crying out for help. The Doctor checked Rose over multiple times, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Rose then stood on her tip toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. The Doctor beamed at her before they made their escape and left Aneres to be destroyed by the infected that suddenly swarmed the room.

That dream then turned into a different fantasy,

Rose lay in the Doctor's arms, safe from their latest adventure on the ice planet Hoth, where Wompas had been wreaking havoc on villages. The Doctor of course had protected her, and had turned to her for help in a pinch, just as it should be. As they lay together, Rose whispered, "Doctor, I'm still really cold," while staring at him from under her lashes. 

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, staring down at her with a smirk before rolling them over so she was atop him. "And what should we do about that?" He whispered, staring into her eyes as if seeing her for the first time. A giggle escaped the blonde as she leaned down, about to brush her lips to his...

TEotOS

The Doctor's head snapped up as screams erupted from somewhere in the Tardis, occasionally being broken by loud sobs. He immediately jumped to his feet and started sprinting through the Tardis towards Aneres' room and throwing the door open. His Tether sat bolt upright in bed, her hair in wild knots and her face red with tears. Slowly, he reached out through their mental bond while making his way over to her, watching her visibly relax under the contact and hearing her breathing slow. When he reached the bed Aneres threw her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulders and trembling from head to toe.

"What is it Annie?" He whispered across the bond, holding her tightly and rocking back and forth. The only sound through the bond aside from his voice were her sobs of pain and terror.

The Doctor raised his hands to rest them against her temples and enter her mind more directly, "Oh Aneres," A lump grew in his throat at the sight of her dreams and thoughts. He continued to rock her back and forth, creating doors in her mind and closing them to lock away the dreams. Aneres sobbed, her hands clawing at his shoulder as he went further into her mind and awoke more memories and nightmares. The Doctor winced but continued to help her in the best way he could, until he finally closed off the last nightmare and heard her sobs halt.

"You're okay," He murmured, continuing to rock Aneres back and forth and rubbing her back with one hand. His eyes then locked on a figure he spotted in the mirror opposite him, the figure of Rose standing in the doorway. She quickly disappeared out of sight, her dressing gown flying behind her as she ran down the hallways and away from him.

TEotOS

Rose slammed her door shut, hot tears burning their way down her face as she recalled what she had just seen. Not only had that damned woman woken her up with that pathetic tantrum, she had done it to get the Doctor's attention. That much kicking and screaming just so he could coddle her and make her quiet down? It was absurd to Rose, who couldn't even believe that there might have been another cause for the screaming. She only thought of the amazing dream she had been having, of the way things should be, the way they would be if it weren't for poor, sad, pathetic Aneres.

"Why did the Doctor have to bring her along? She can't be that important if she wasn't staying in his room with him." Rose reasoned, frowning to herself while she tried to wipe away her tears.

"He just pities her," She whispered to herself, nodding with a smile, "That's all it is, pity for another member of his species, that's it." A smile broke out on her lips, happy with this conclusion. Rose then put Aneres out of her mind and walked back into bed, her mind drifting to and from various dreams of her and the Doctor together, just the two of them.

TEotOS

The Doctor gazed down at Aneres, who was finally asleep and without nightmares from what he could tell. As he moved to leave her bed, the bond seemed to cry softly, tugging at him to stay with her. With a hum the Tardis conjured a chair for him, which he sat down in gratefully. His eyes flicked over Aneres' face, making sure that nothing was happening mentally, assuaging the bond ever so slightly with their proximity. As time passed, and Aneres remained without nightmares, the Doctor slowly made his way back to his own rooms to sleep.

So here's the first original chapter! I elaborated a little more on how Aneres got where she was, the bond she and the Doctor share, and why he has been having mixed reactions with Aneres and Rose. Later on more details will arise on the bond and their relationship prior to the War but it will be gradual cause a huge info dump doesn't write well and it's kinda boring not gonna lie. Please leave a review if you have comments, critiques, or questions, I always respond to them and make sure your voices are being heard because that is important.

ALSO WE GOT OVER 200 VIEWS ON THIS STORY! I'm so thankful to all of you for reading my work, it really makes me smile when I see that number :D


	5. Tooth and Claw: Hostages or Guests?

A week passed from that night, and throughout that time Aneres and Rose had avoided each other like the plague unless absolutely necessary. The Doctor couldn't have them in the same room for longer than a minute before Rose fled the room looking like her head was about to explode into a million pieces. He sighed as he walked through the Tardis, Rose having just run off for the umpteenth time. "Rose!" He called, Aneres watching him leave from the doorway of the console room. Her green eyes slowly shut while the Doctor shouted down the hallway after his companion. "Still so caring," She chuckled, turning to flip some switches on the console to slow down their movement through the Time Vortex. The Tardis hummed in thanks, her sentience tickling Aneres' mind, and inciting a giggle from the Time Lady.

TEotOS

_**In Scotland a crew of servants worked in the courtyard of a lavish estate, only to be interrupted by a large congregation of monks making their way into the estate. The head steward rolled his eyes and slowly rose to stand, "Come now, Father. You should know better. You're not welcome here, and especially not today. I've got no time to start old arguments." He called across the yard, holding his hands up in a no nonsense way. The head monk, Father Angelo, removed his hood to stare the man down. "We want only one thing," He murmured, smirking slightly at the staff. "And what would that be?" The steward snarked, rolling his eyes. "This house," Father Angelo explained, gesturing towards the rest of the estate while the rest of the monks smirked at the staff. "You want the house?" The steward double checked, his Scottish accent thickening ever so slightly.**_

"_**We will take the house," Father Angelo amended, moving forward so slightly. "Would you like my wife while you're at it?" The steward joked, completely ignoring the amended statement. "If you won't stand aside, then we'll take it by force." Angelo whispered, his eyes burning with anger. "By what power? The Hand of God?" The steward continued, crossing his arms across his chest. "No. The Fist of Man." Angelo spat, throwing off his robes and using his long staff to lunge at the staff, the rest of the monks following suit in red gis that had been under their robes.**_

TEotOS

Aneres looked up to see the Doctor returning to the console room, looking ever so slightly relieved. "She undo the twist in her knickers?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at the Doctor. "Not entirely, but I think a trip would be good, get back into rhythm of things," He mused, Aneres nodded thoughtfully, stepping back from the console, "Guess I'd better get changed then," She whispered, winking at the Doctor before sashaying down the hallways to her room. The Doctor gaped after her like a lustful fish, much to the amusement of the Tardis. His lips formed a pout at the sound of her humming giggles, "Oh shove off," He grumbled, which only earned him a slight zap through the bond he had with her.

Aneres smiled widely as she hurried down the hallways, ducking into her room and making a beeline for her closet. Closing her eyes, she felt through the bond with the Tardis and slowly walked through the closet. It was a trick for Time Lords that enjoyed dressing for the period, they would feel their way through their bond with the Tardis to see what era they would be arriving in. A frown rose to her face, "1879?" She breathed out, opening her eyes and turning to look at a collection of Victorian era dresses. Her eyes rolled while she grabbed one, "He probably thinks he's going to 1979 or something ridiculous like that," Aneres muttered, stripping down to change.

"What do you think of this? Will it do?" Rose asked, waltzing into the console room and grinning at the lack of Aneres hovering around the Doctor. "In the late 1970s? You'd be better off in a bin bag. Hold on, listen to this." The Doctor brushed off, barely looking at the outfit at all while turning on an Ian Dury CD. "Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Number One in 1979." He explained, finally looking up at Rose to smile. "You're a punk," She giggled, watching him dance around the room and singing to the song. "That's what you are. A big old punk with a bit of rockabillly thrown in," Rose continued casually moving towards him.

"Would you like to see him?" The Doctor asked, bouncing away from her in time with the music. "How'd you mean? In concert?" Rose gaped, her eyes filling with excitement. "What else is a Tardis for? I can take you to the Battle of Trafalgar, the first anti-gravity Olympics, Caesar crossing the Rubicon or Ian Dury at the Top Rank, Sheffield, England, Earth, 21st November, 1979. What do you think?" The Doctor rambled, before turning to Rose for a response. "Sheffield it is!" Rose decided, leaning on the console. "Hold on tight." The Doctor said, turning the song up. Aneres stood on that balcony above them, watching the young girl shamelessly move closer to her Tether. Her eyebrow slowly cocked up as they made their way out of the Tardis into the year 1879.

"And I like my thumb. I need my thumb. I'm very attached to," The Doctor rambled to Rose, completely missing the guns that were being aimed at him and his companion until the sound of them cocking turned his eyes towards them. "My thumb." He trailed off, moving back ever so slightly to guard the entrance to the Tardis where Aneres had yet to emerge from. "1879. Same difference." He winced at the glare Rose sent his way, tapping into the mental bond with Aneres. _"Annie you might want to wait a bit. We're being held at gunpoint by Redcoats," _The Doctor explained, only hearing mental giggles as a response to his statement. "You will explain your presence. And the nakedness of this girl." The head of the force commanded with a Scottish accent, gesturing at Rose with his rifle.

"Are we in Scotland?" The Doctor posed, smiling as Aneres flew into a full blown laughing fit over the bond. "How can you be ignorant of that?" The captain drawled, raising an eyebrow at the man and woman before them. "Oh, I'm, I'm dazed and confused. I've been chasing this, this wee naked child over hill and over dale. Isn't that right, ya timorous beastie?" The Doctor rambled, nudging Rose in the side after his question. With a roll of her eyes Rose replied, with a deplorable Scottish brogue, "Och, aye! I've been oot and aboot." Everyone in their vicinity cringed, including the unseen Aneres. "No, don't do that." The Doctor muttered, elbowing her in the side, much to her annoyance. "Hoots mon." She squawked, smirking at the Doctor. "No, really don't. Really." Aneres murmured, exiting from the Tardis to stand beside the Doctor, who chuckled at her period clothing. Rose, however, grew red with anger and embarrassment at the thought that Aneres had somehow prepared for this and left them in the dark to be humiliated.

"Will you identify yourself and these women, sir?" The captain demanded, still holding his rifle towards them. "I'm Doctor James McCrimmon, from the township of Balamory." The Doctor introduced, bowing his head slightly. "This is my wife, Anne McCrimmon, and a feral child we found trying to steal our chickens." He continued, gesturing to Aneres and Rose respectively and ignoring the full on hatred that shone on Rose's face. "I have my credentials, if I may." The Doctor held out his psychic paper to the captain, who took it and began inspecting it. "As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. He trained under Doctor Bell himself." Aneres interjected proudly, smiling at the Doctor before another voice filled the air.

"Let them approach." A strong English voice resounded from the carriage before them. Aneres' eyes narrowed as she flicked through her history mentally, trying to pinpoint who this person could be. The captain frowned at the two women and Doctor before him and turned to speak towards the carriage, "I don't think that's wise, ma'am." He called, eyeing them from his peripheral vision. "Let them approach," The voice repeated, stronger in her demand this time. The captain sighed before parting to let them past him to the entrance of the carriage. "You will approach the carriage, and show all due deference." He warned, keeping his rifle trained on the trio. Aneres approached the door first, which swung open to reveal Her Majesty Queen Victoria. Her mouth opened slightly before she dropped into a curtsy and whispered, "Your Majesty." The monarch smiled down at Aneres while the Doctor introduced her to his companion, "Rose, might I introduce her Majesty Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith." He finished, beaming at the lady before him.

"Rose Tyler, Ma'am. And my apologies for being so naked." Rose murmured, attempting to curtsy like Aneres but failing miserably. The latter stood from her position, but kept her head bowed in respect. The captain nodded in approval at her conduct, and Aneres smiled at the man's silent compliment on her etiquette before Victoria commanded her attention once again. "I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me." The queen murmured, brushing off Rose's apology like a speck of dust on her raven gown. "But you, Doctor. Show me these credentials," She demanded, her eyebrow raised in careful suspicion at the man before her. The Doctor passed over the psychic paper before offering his arm for Aneres to rest her hand upon.

"Why didn't you say so immediately? It states clearly here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector." Victoria demanded, a smile gracing her face as she stared down at the couple before her. "Does it? Yes, it does. Good. Good." The Doctor mumbled, his eyes staring at Aneres' delicate hand atop his arm. "Then let me ask -" He finally looked up in confusion, "why is Your Majesty travelling by road when there's a train all the way to Aberdeen?" He finished, searching the Queen's features for clues. "A tree on the line," Victoria explained, a frown coming to Aneres' face. "An accident?" She and the Doctor asked simultaneously, blushing at the timing they had. "I am the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Everything around me tends to be planned." Victoria drawled, her eyes staring off into space at the ever repeating truth. "An assassination attempt?" The Doctor asked, concern evident on his face, only growing when Victoria confirmed it with a mere nod. "What, seriously? There's people out to kill you?" Rose demanded, moving up to look right up at her. Aneres frowned ever so slightly at the lack of politeness, especially given who she was speaking to. Victoria paid it no mind, however, and merely replied nonchalantly, "I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun." Rose blanched at the thought of that happening to her, and looked to the Doctor and Aneres to see them merely sending the Queen a look of understanding. Her lips formed into a frown before she looked down at the grass, she had forgotten about the War, and what the Doctor had most likely gone through.

"Sir Robert MacLeish lives but ten miles hence. We've sent word ahead. He'll shelter us for tonight, then we can reach Balmoral tomorrow." The captain explained, gesturing to his right. Victoria smiled back down at the trio, "This Doctor, his wife, and their timorous beastie will come with us." She called, the captain wincing at her words, but obeying nonetheless, "Yes, Ma'am. We'd better get moving - it's almost nightfall." He said, the rest of the Redcoats moving to cluster around the carriage. "Indeed," Victoria said with a smile, "And there are stories of wolves in these parts. Fanciful tales intended to scare the children. But good for the blood, I think," She whispered, smiling conspiratorially at Aneres. "Drive on!" She called, closing the door to the carriage, leaving a shocked Doctor and Rose with a beaming Aneres.

Rose, Aneres and the Doctor walked behind the carriage, musing over their newest acquaintance. "It's funny though, because you say assassination and you just think of Kennedy and stuff. Not her," Rose murmured, drawing the Doctor's attention. "1879? She's had, oh, six attempts on her life?" He guessed, looking to Aneres for confirmation. The raven nodded, smiling at him while he whispered, "And I'll tell you something else. We just met Queen Victoria!" A great big grin sat on his face as he stared at the carriage that contained said monarch. "I know!" Rose squealed, smiling up at him, only to see him gushing with Aneres. "What a laugh!" He gasped out, their eyes sparkling in delight. "She was just sitting there," Aneres mumbled, using her hand to muffle her excited giggles. "Like a stamp," The Doctor crowed, his smile widening ever so slightly. "I want her to say we are not amused," Aneres joked, her voice adapting a high English tone. "I bet you five quid I can make her say it," Rose interjected, causing the Doctor to look at her in surprise. "Well, if we gambled on that, it'd be an abuse of our privileges of travelling in time," Aneres murmured, the Doctor nodding along with our words. "Ten quid?" Rose asked, only asking the Doctor. "Done," They both responded, killing the slight smile Rose had formed while string at the Doctor.

TEotOS

The Royal Procession made its way into the courtyard, Robert MacLeish staring down at them from a window. "I can't do this. It's treason," Robert whispered, his voice shaking in terror while Father Angelo stared him down in a butler's uniform, "Then your wife will suffer the consequence," Angelo murmured, moving over to whisper in his ear. "And believe me, Sir Robert, she will be devoured," Robert paled at the monk's words, thinking back to his wife's screams when they dragged her from his arms.

TEotOS

Queen Victoria stepped out from the carriage, The Doctor offering his arm as assistance while Aneres regarded Sir Robert, a handsome man with dark hair making his way across the courtyard. "Your Majesty," He said, a smile upon his face and his body bending into a bow. "Sir Robert. My apologies for the emergency." Victoria said gently, moving forward to stand by Aneres. "And how is Lady Isobel?" She asked, staring at the Lord. Aneres frowned slightly as Robert's eyes filled with despair and his jaw tensed ever so slightly.

"She's indisposed, I'm afraid. She's gone to Edinburgh for the season. And she's taken the cook with her. The kitchens are barely stocked. I wouldn't blame Your Majesty if you wanted to ride on." Victoria chuckled, ignoring Aneres' look at the Doctor, suspicion growing in her emerald eyes. "Oh, not at all. I've had quite enough carriage exercise," Victoria said, brushing off the previous warning. "And this is charming, if rustic. It's my first visit to this house. My late husband spoke of it often. The Torchwood Estate." She rambled, slowly gazing off when she thought of her husband. Aneres leaned forward and rested her hand upon Victoria's shoulder in sympathy. The monarch reached up and clasped her hand gratefully while taking a deep breath. "Now, shall we go inside? And please excuse the naked girl." Victoria continued, smirking at Aneres when she mentioned Rose. "Sorry," Rose called, glaring at Aneres for mocking her.

"She's a feral child. I bought her for sixpence in old London Town. It's was her or the Elephant Man, so…" The Doctor explained, joking with the Lord of the house. Aneres rolled her eyes at his antics, but Rose's response was the icing on the cake. "Thinks he's funny but I'm so not amused. What do you think, Ma'am?" Aneres had to clamp her mouth shut, a cackle threatening to escape at her horrible attempt at winning the bet. Victoria raised an eyebrow, her expression severe as she regarded Rose, "It hardly matters." The blonde's face fell. "Shall we proceed?" Aneres asked, garnering a smile from the monarch who nodded in agreement and brought her along inside the house.

"So close," Rose murmured, glaring daggers into Aneres' retreating figure. The Captain then dismounted from his horse and began barking orders, "Makerson and Ramsey, you will escort the property. Hurry up." Two soldiers hurried to carry out his command, removing a small, locked box from the carriage and taking it into the house. "So what's in there, then?" The Doctor asked, staring after the two soldiers as they disappeared from view. "Property of the Crown. You will dismiss any further thoughts, sir." The captain snapped, glaring at the Doctor and the naked child. The man's wife was acceptable, had shown proper respect, what was wrong with this man to ask such bold questions about the Queen's property. "The rest of you go to the rear of the house. Assume your designated positions," The captain continued, turning away from the Doctor and his companion. His men hurried off into the house and assumed positions in every corridor where the Queen would be.

TEotOS

Aneres stared at the monarch beside her, completely shocked that she had been pulled along into the house. "How long have you and Dr McCrimmon been married my dear?" Victoria suddenly asked, regarding her with gentle eyes filled with longing. "Almost ten years now your Majesty," Aneres replied, smiling fondly. Victoria smiled and whispered, "It shows, how in love you two are," Aneres blushed at her words, continuing to walk alongside the Queen until they reached the Queen's rooms. Robert smiled at the Queen and opened the door so she could refresh herself, "Thank you for accompanying me dear, return to your husband now. I shall meet you in the observatory within the hour." She advised, smiling at Aneres, who gave a respectful nod before making her way down the halls with Sir Robert.

TEotOS

The Doctor looked at the paintings upon the wall, each of them featuring cosmic marvels throughout history. Comets falling, meteor showers, they were all incredibly well painted and depicted on the canvases. His attention was soon drawn away to Aneres, who entered the room with Sir Robert, sans Victoria. "Darling," She called, walking over to him with a smile. "Ah, and how is our monarch faring after her long journey?" The Doctor asked, resting his hand on the small of her back while she stood next to him and eyed the paintings. "She is taking a little break to freshen herself up, we are to meet her in the observatory," Aneres explained, her eyes flicking over each brushstroke of a painting, "And where is the feral child?" Sir Robert piped up, moving slightly closer. "Over here," Rose muttered from a corner, her face surly as ever when Aneres was around. The Doctor frowned at Rose, raising an eyebrow as her childish behavior persisted. "Well, shall we start to make our way to the observatory," Sir Robert asked, still standing by the door.

"That sounds like a lovely idea," Aneres said, smiling at the clearly uncomfortable man before them. "Dr McCrimmon, would you permit me to escort your wife?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow at Robert's request, sending a questioning glance at the woman in question. "She was quite absorbed in the carvings that decorate the halls of the Torchwood estate, I was just hoping to teach her more about them on the way." Robert explained, his face pale and eyes desperate. "Darling, the carvings are truly delightful, might I go with Sir Robert?" Aneres asked, batting her lashes at the Doctor. A sigh escaped her 'husband', "I suppose it could be educational," He murmured, releasing her arm from his.

"Come along Sir Robert, tell me about this detail on the corners, it almost looks like mistletoe," Aneres murmured, linking arms with the Lord and making her way down the hallway. The Doctor and Rose followed, completely out of earshot as the Time Lord attempted to reason with Rose. "Tell me Sir Robert," Aneres whispered, "Where is your wife? Why did you warn us to leave?" Robert paled, staring down at the woman beside him. "Your secrets will be safe with me, even from my husband, but you should not suffer alone," Aneres comforted, staring at his dark eyes. Robert took a deep breath and explained what the monks had done to his staff, his wife, feeding Aneres' concern for the man. His explanation concluded just as they reached the door to the observatory, Victoria making her way to them from another hallway with the Captain. "Your Majesty," Aneres said with a smile, performing a deep curtsy once again for the Holy Monarch. Sir Robert bowed, rising up to open the large doors once she had arrived to the rest of the group.

The doors parted to reveal a large observatory, with a massive bronze telescope front and center. "This, I take it, is the famous Endeavour," Victoria whispered, her eyes sparkling as she gazed upon it. "All my father's work. Built by hand in his final years," Robert explained, releasing Aneres' arm so that she could inspect the device more closely. "Became something of an obsession. He spent his money on this rather than caring for the house or himself," Robert continued, sighing at the memory of his father. "I wish I'd met him. I like him. That thing's beautiful." The Doctor breathed out, running his eyes across every detail. "Can I?" He asked, gesturing towards the massive device.

"Help yourself," Robert said, the Doctor immediately rushing forward and slipping in a pair of glasses. "What did he model it on?" The Time Lord asked, ducking around Aneres to get a better look inside of the telescope. "I know nothing about it," Robert admitted, his cheeks red with embarrassment, "To be honest, most of us thought him a little, shall we say, eccentric. I wish now I'd spent more time with him and listened to his stories." He finished, his voice wistful and pained. The Doctor frowned at the inside of the telescope, pulling away with his eyes scrunched up in slight disgust. "It's a bit rubbish," He commented, Aneres' mouth dropping open in shock. "How many prisms has it got? Way too many. The magnification's gone right over the top. That's stupid kind of-" Aneres quickly interjected, cutting off the Doctor's rant. "My husband means to say that it is a remarkable work of creativity, and I'm sure that it was designed for a specific purpose if it does indeed have such a high level of magnification," Aneres shot the Doctor a look, the man's cheeks coloring in response to her rather choice words that were floating through the bond.

"And the imagination of it should be applauded," Victoria added, turning and smiling at Sir Robert with delight. Aneres smiled at the Queen as well, the Doctor busting himself with looking at his shoes until Rose took another shot at her bet, "Mmm. Thought you might disapprove, Your Majesty," Victoria turned to gaze at Rose in confusion, "Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful?" Rose questioned, eyeing her in anticipation, "you could easily not be amused, or something? No?" Her voice trailed off while Victoria's eyebrows rose at her words. "This device surveys the infinite work of God. What could be finer?" She asked, surveying the Endeavor with a smile. "Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. A polymath, steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairytales." Victoria finished, turning back to the Lord of the house.

"Stars and magic. I like him more and more," The Doctor murmured, turning his head up to stare at Victoria and Robert. "Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company." The former whispered, her eyes glaring over slightly, "Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg." Aneres winced in sympathy, the strength of their love and Victoria's intense mourning coming to mind. "That's Bavaria," The Doctor whispered to Rose, who looked ever confused and frustrated. "When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported," The Queen continued, speaking directly to Robert, who's response was quickly stopped by the Doctor jumping into the conversation. "So, what's this wolf, then?" He demanded, excitement running through his veins. "It's just a story," Robert mumbled, avoiding eye contact with everyone else. "Then tell it," The Doctor ordered in a whisper, inching closer to Robert. "It's said that-" Robert began, but was soon cut off by his butler.

"Excuse me, sir. Perhaps her Majesty's party could retire to their rooms. It's almost dark." Robert stared at his butler, the same fear entering his eyes that Aneres had seen when they first arrived. "Of course. Yes, of course," He murmured, leading the party from the room. "And then supper." Her Majesty declared, finding herself famished after the journey. "And could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler? I'm tired of nakedness," She drawled, sharing a secretive smile with Aneres. "It's not amusing, is it?" Rose muttered, the words stinging her pride like an angry wasp. "Sir Robert, your wife must have left some clothes. See to it," Victoria ordered, beginning to depart with the Captain. "We shall dine at seven, and talk some more of this wolf. After all, there is a full moon tonight," Victoria murmured, an ominous tone leaking into her voice, her words only serving to feed the fear in Sir Robert's. "So there is, Ma'am," He murmured, leading the remaining trio to their rooms.

TEotOS

Rose filtered through the contents of a wardrobe in her chambers, and stumbled upon a blue gown constructed from velvet that appealed to her.

TEotOS

Meanwhile, the monks boiled sprigs of mistletoe in pots of spiced wine, and poured them into mugs for the soldiers. Upon consuming the wine they collapse, unknowingly surrendering their weapons to the monks.

TEotOS

Rose then opened another cupboard and screamed at the discovery of a housemaid, curled up on the floor and silently crying. Rose quickly helped her up and sat her down on the bed while she continued to sob, "They came through the house. In the excitement they took the Steward and the Master, and my Lady," sniffles escaped from the maid, her face buried in her hands. "Listen," Rose hushed the maid, "I've got a friend. He's called the Doctor. He'll know what to do. You've got to come with me," She urged, tugging the maid up from the bed.

"Oh, but I can't, Miss," The maid whimpered, curling in on herself. "What's your name?" Rose asked gently, shoving down the frustration she was feeling towards this poor girl for not listening to her. "Flora," The woman whispered, looking up at Rose. "Flora," Rose whispered, "we'll be safe. There's more people arrived downstairs, soldiers and everything, and they can help us. I promise. Come on. Okay? Come on." She continued, helping the woman off of the bed and out into the hallway.

They only made it around the corner when the sight of an unconscious soldier sent Flora into another round of tears. "Oh miss, I did warn you," She trailed off, crying louder as Father Angelo approached from behind Rose. Just as Rose turned, more monks came, covering their mouths and tugging them off to the cellar.

TEotOS

Once the blonde and the maid had been removed, Father Angelo returned to the dining room, where Aneres and the Doctor sat across from Victoria and the Captain. "Your companion begs an apology, Doctor. Her clothing has somewhat delayed her," The monk drawled, his face an impassive mask. "Oh, that's all right. Save her a wee bit of ham," The Doctor murmured, smiling at the man.

"The feral child could probably eat it raw," Victoria commented, grinning at Aneres, who smiled back with a soft laugh, while the Captain bellowed with laughter. "Very wise, Ma'am. Very witty," The Captain said, obviously overwhelmed by the honor of being this close to the Queen, the very displeased Queen.

"Slightly witty, perhaps," She remarked, turning her attention back to the Captain, "I know you rarely get the chance to dine with me, Captain, but don't get too excited. I shall contain my wit in case I do you further injury," The Captain immediately shrunk under her commentary, "Yes, Ma'am. Sorry, Ma'am."

"Besides, we're all waiting on Sir Robert," The Doctor said loudly, grinning at the dark-haired man at the table.

"Come, sir. You promised us a tale of nightmares," Aneres said, leaning forward ever so slightly to get a better look.

"Indeed. Since my husband's death, I find myself with more of a taste for supernatural fiction," Victoria added, staring at the Lord, and drawing Aneres' eyes back to her.

"You must miss him," She whispered, staring at the Monarch with sympathy.

"Very much. Oh, completely. And that's the charm of a ghost story, isn't it? Not the scares and chills, that's just for children, but the hope of some contact with the great beyond. We all want some message from that place. It's the Creator's greatest mystery that we're allowed no such consolation. The dead stay silent, and we must wait." Victoria whispered gently, the others a captivated audience to her words. "Come. Begin your tale, Sir Robert." She suddenly said, the room snapping back to coherency. "There's a chill in the air. The wind is howling through the eaves. Tell us of monsters," She demanded, her eyes alight with excitement.

TEotOS

"Don't make a sound. They said if we scream or shout, then he will slaughter us," A noblewoman, Lady Isobel, whispered to the rest of the staff, which had been joined by Rose and Flora.

"But he's in a cage. He's a prisoner. He's the same as us," Rose murmured, eying the woman speculatively.

"He's nothing like us. That creature is not mortal," Isobel spat while inching away from it. The young man imprisoned in the cage suddenly looked up and opened his eyes, his entirely black eyes.

**Hellooooooo everyone and here is part one of Tooth and Claw! God I've become so in love with this story I just wanna write it forever, love it love it love it! Also we are above 300 views, and in a variety of countries as well! Please leave a review if you have questions, comments or critiques, I will respond as soon as I can! Love you guys, hope you are all having a great day!**


	6. Tooth and Claw: Creatures and Myths

Robert began his story, an uncomfortable smile on his face as he entertained his guests. Mrs. McCrimmon stared at him, her eyes locked to his.

"The story goes back three hundred years. Every full moon, the howling rings through the valley. The next morning, livestock is found ripped apart and devoured," He said, his voice shaking only so slightly.

"Tales like this just disguise the work of thieves," The captain interrupted, scoffing at the fairytale, "Steal a sheep and blame a wolf, simple as that." Aneres glared at him, Victoria joining her in disdain.

"But sometimes a child goes missing." Robert retorted, frowning at the man while continuing his story, "Once in a generation, a boy will vanish from his homestead." A pang of sympathy hit Aneres, the thoughts and cries those boys' mothers probably made hitting her with full force. The Doctor took a shuddering breath, Aneres' thoughts slipping through their mental bond.

TEotOS

Rose slowly stood from her place on the cellar floor and moved towards the cage. Isobel lunged and grabbed Rose's hand, "Don't, child," She whispered, shaking with fear and crying silently.

"Who are you?" Rose asked after ripping her hand from Isobel and moving closer.

"Don't enrage him." The steward snapped, drawing himself back as far as he could.

"Where are you from?" Rose continued, "You're not from Earth. What planet are you from?" She asked, staring at the young man.

"Oh, intelligence," He whispered, staring up at Rose, his lips parting to reveal rotting teeth. "Where were you born?" Rose tried, desperate for any information.

"This body? Ten miles away," The man shrugged, "A weakling, heartsick boy, stolen away at night by the brethren for my cultivation. I carved out his soul and sat in his heart." He finished, grinning at Rose with a mad gleam in his black eyes.

TEotOS

"Are there descriptions of the creature?" The Doctor asked Robert, both him and ANeres leaning forward ever so slightly.

"Oh, yes, Doctor. Drawings and wood carvings. And it's not merely a wolf. It's more than that. This is a man who becomes an animal." Robert whispered, his voice shaking more now.

"A werewolf?" Aneres mused, sitting back ever so slightly while her eyes gazed past Robert at Father Angelo.

TEotOS

"All right, so the body's human. But what about you, the thing inside?" Rose continued, frustration filling her voice as she snapped at the man.

"So far from home," He mumbled, feeding her aggravation.

"If you want to get back home, we can help," She offered, kneeling to be at his level.

"Why would I leave this place?" He asked, confused and peering at the woman. "A world of industry, of workforce and warfare. I could turn it to such purpose," He whispered, a delighted smile gracing his lips.

"How would you do that?" Rose asked, finally getting somewhere with the man.

"I would migrate to the Holy Monarch," The man growled, his eyes alight. "You mean Queen Victoria?" Rose guessed, leaning slightly closer. "With one bite, I would pass into her blood, and then it begins. The Empire of the Wolf," The man murmured in a delicate voice while regarding Rose. "Many questions," He whispered before suddenly lunging for the bars and gripping them tightly in his hands.

"Look. Inside your eyes. You've seen it too," Rose immediately tensed at his words, inching away from the crate.

"Seen what?" Rose asked, avoiding the man's eyes.

"The Wolf. There is something of the Wolf about you," The man continued, reaching an arm through the bars to grab at Rose.

"I don't know what you mean," She lied, inching back to the crowd of staff at the back.

"You burnt like the sun, but all I require is the moon," The man growled, snarling while memories of the Heart of the Tardis ran across Rose's mind. The girl squeezed her eyes shut, curling in on herself.

TEotOS

Robert continued his story, the light of the full moon illuminating the sky, "My father didn't treat it as a story. He said it was fact. He even claimed to have communed with the beast, to have learned its purpose." Aneres glanced at the Doctor before turning her attention back to Robert's words, "I should have listened. His work was hindered. He made enemies. There's a monastery in the Glen of Saint Catherine. The Brethren opposed my father's investigations." He stared at Mrs. McCrimmon, and then to her husband while Father Angelo turned to the window. Aneres turned slightly to hear him chanting in Latin.

"Perhaps they thought his work ungodly." Victoria mused, not noticing the butler's strange behavior.

"That's what I thought," Robert admitted, "But now I wonder. What if they had a different reason for wanting the story kept quiet? What if they turned from God and worshipped the wolf?" He emphasized the last words, gesturing his head at Angelo, the Doctor and Aneres following his gaze.

"And what if they were with us right now?" Aneres whispered, glaring at the butler while he chanted, "Lupus Deus est."

TEotOS

The young man jerked his head to stare up as the monks threw the cellar doors open, bathing the room in the moon's glow. "Moonlight," He whispered, his eyes fluttering shut as he basked in it while removing his cloak.

"All of you! Stop looking at it!" Rose screamed, an unnatural wind starting up as the young man's body began to jerk and twist. "Flora, don't look. Listen to me. Grab hold of the chain and pull!" She ordered, grabbing the chain that was holding them to their place in the cellar. "Come on! With me! Pull!" Rose shrieked, grabbing the chain and tugging on it roughly.

The staff continued to scream as the man continued twisting, his body transforming before their very eyes. "I said pull! Stop your whining and listen to me! All of you!" Rose demanded, tugging people off of the floor before turning to Isobel. "And that means you, your Ladyship. Now come on, pull!" She shouted, everyone leaping to pull at the chain on the wall.

TEotOS

"What is the meaning of this?" Victoria demanded, Angelo's chanting increasing in volume, the other three staring at Sir Robert.

"Explain yourself, Sir Robert!" The captain demanded, standing up from his seat.

"What's happening?" The Queen demanded, standing up from her seat as well.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, they've got my wife," Robert sobbed, Aneres standing and moving to comfort him.

"Rose! Where's Rose? Where is she?" The Doctor demanded, the captain taking out his gun and setting it on Angelo.

"Sir Robert, come on!" The Doctor shouted, tugging him from the room and running down the corridors. Victoria let out a shaking breath, Aneres moving to stand next to and comfort her. The Captain kept his revolver trained on the monk, his eyes flicking back to check on his charges.

"Tell me, sir. I demand to know your intention!" The captain demanded, moving slightly closer to the monk, who merely continued chanting as he turned to face the Redcoat. "What is it that you want?' The soldier tried again, moving slightly closer. "The throne," Angelo suddenly replied before kicking the revolver from his hands.

TEotOS

"One, two, three, pull!" Rose called, the whole staff pulling on the chain with her. The wolf continued growling and snarling from its cage while they pulled until it was distracted by the door being kicked down. The Doctor and Robert ran into the room, looking around the room for their companion and wife respectively.

"Where the hell have you been?" Rose shrieked, furious at the Time Lord who was focusing on the wolf in the crate.

"Oh, that's beautiful," He whispered, his eyes widening to the size of saucers. It wasn't beautiful for long though and soon broke the crate while Robert ushered everyone from the cellar.

"Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out!" The Doctor crowed, Rose trying to pull him from the room. "Come on!" She shouted, tugging on his arm. He continued to stare at the wolf until a chunk of the crate was suddenly hurtled at his head, forcing him and Rose to leave the room in a panic, but not forgetting to lock the door with the sonic screwdriver.

TEotOS

Victoria and Aneres stared the monk down, the latter's eyes shining in fury. "I take it, sir, that you halted my train to bring me here?" Victoria asked, inching away from the man.

"We have waited so long for one of your journeys to coincide with the moon," Angelo murmured, his gaze predatory as his eyes drifted over the two women before him.

"Then you have waited in vain. After six attempts on my life," Victoria whispered while drawing a gun from her handbag, "I am hardly unprepared."

Aneres paled as Angelo moved forward, "Oh, I don't think so, woman," He drawled.

"The correct form of address is Your Majesty," Aneres snarled, grabbing the gun from Victoria in one fluid motion and shooting Angelo right between the eyes. Victoria screamed softly, her hands flying to her mouth.

"You've killed him," She whispered.

Aneres sighed and replied, "Yes, I killed him. Better that his blood be on my hands than yours," Victoria stared at the woman, immense gratitude filling her at the woman's words. Aneres didn't say anything more, merely stowed the gun in her dress and led Victoria from the room.

TEotOS

"Arms, and you five. Ready, everyone?" The steward hastily ordered the staff around, arming everyone with a gun from the armory. "Take the girls. Get them out through the kitchen," He shouted to Lady Isobel, gesturing at the crew of maids beside her.

"I can't leave you," She whispered, staring up at her husband in terror, "What will you do?" She asked, tears shining in her eyes.

"I must defend her Majesty. Now, don't think of me, just go," Robert whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead and quickly embracing her.

"All of you, at my side. Come on!" She shouted, her eyes now filled with determination.

The Doctor busied himself with removing the staff's shackles, ending with Rose's, "It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths. Did it say what it wanted?" He asked, staring up at his companion.

"The Queen, the Crown, the throne - you name it," Rose said quickly, tugging the shackles off once she was able. A crash interrupted them, and upon the Doctor's investigation, it was revealed that the wolf had made it out of the cellar. He gulped audibly and grabbed Rose while the steward and staff fired bullet after bullet at the beast.

TEotOS

"All right, you men. We should retreat upstairs. Come with me," The Doctor ordered, the wolf had disappeared from view after the assault.

"I'll not retreat," The steward sneered, "The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault," He claimed, pride oozing from every pore.

"I'm telling you, come upstairs!" The Doctor ordered, his blood as cold as ice water as adrenaline rushed through his system.

"And I'm telling you, sir, I will sleep well tonight with that thing's hide upon my wall," The stubborn man snapped, slowly moving towards the door to stare down the corridor, "It must have crawled away to die," he whispered as he saw nothing in the corridor.

Suddenly he was yanked up to the ceiling the wolf's teeth ripping his flesh to shreds and growling, "There's nothing we can do!" The Doctor shouted, Rose's mouth hanging open in shock and horror while the Time Lord dragged her away from the bloody scene.

TEotOS

Isobel and the maids cowered under a table in the kitchen, the gunshots still ringing out throw the house. Flora whispered, "Did they kill it?" Isobel moved to nod, but stiffened as the wolf approached the kitchen door, snuffling and sniffing the air. The woman stared around a corner, watching as the wolf breathed in more of the air before turning and running off.

TEotOS

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty! Mrs McCrimmon!" Robert called, watching the two women rapidly descend the staircase. Rose glared at the latter, having hoped she would at least be injured and unable to accompany them. It seems the universe was not on her side today.

"Sir Robert? What's happening?" Victoria demanded, clutching onto Aneres' hand tightly. "I heard such terrible noises," She whispered fear present in her eyes.

"Your Majesty, we've got to get out," Robert explained, before turning back to them, "But what of Father Angelo? Is he still here?" His eyes were frantic as they searched the women's eyes.

"I disposed of him." Aneres murmured, ignoring the Doctor's horrified look and Rose's sadistic, victorious smile.

_"The Doctor could never love someone who uses violence, he's mine,"_ Rose thought excitedly, her body vibrating with joy as Aneres stared at the ground. The Doctor shook his head quickly.

"The front door's no good, it's been boarded shut," He explained, eyes locked on his Tether, "Pardon me, Your Majesty. You'll have to leg it out of a window," The Doctor ordered, leading them down a corridor.

The group arrived in the drawing room and hurried over to a window, Robert moving to be before the Queen. "Excuse my manners, Ma'am, but I shall go first, the better to assist Her Majesty's egress," He explained, smiling at the Queen sadly.

"A noble sentiment, my Sir Walter Raleigh," Victoria joked, smiling when Aneres let out a soft chuckle at her words.

"Yeah, any chance you could hurry up?" The Doctor snapped, his London accent shining as his body fought every urge to hold his Tether close and comfort her. Robert threw open the windows, only to have a multitude of monks open fire and cause Aneres to tug Victoria to the ground.

"I reckon the monkey boys want us to stay inside," Aneres said, her heart racing as they continued to fire.

"Do they know who I am?" Victoria demanded, outrage filling her voice. Aneres opened her mouth, but was cut off by Rose.

"Yeah, that's why they want you. The wolf's lined you up for a, a biting," Rose explained bluntly and causing the Queen to panic in Aneres' arms.

"Stop this talk. There can't be an actual wolf," She whispered, attempting to rationalize it until a howl rang out through the house and they were forced to run once again.

"What do we do?" Rose screamed, attempting to keep pace with the Doctor while Aneres lagged behind with Victoria.

"We run," The Doctor snapped, trying his best to ignore the Tether. Aneres let out a soft sob before throwing up her mental shields at full strength, effectively cutting the connection so it wouldn't distract the Doctor. Rose gaped as the Doctor stumbled slightly before continuing to run.

"Is that it?" She asked, attempting to look at his face.

"You got any silver bullets?" Aneres snapped, growing tired of Rose's complaining when she really didn't have much to complain about.

"Not on me, no," Rose snarled, glaring at Aneres through her peripheral vision.

"There we are then, we run," The Doctor growled, slowing to address Victoria. "Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigourous jog. Good for the health. Come on!" He shouted, dragging them up a staircase as the wolf broke through another door.

"Come on! Come on!" The Doctor cried out, fear still running through him at a million miles an hour. The wolf continued to gain on them until Aneres suddenly twisted her body and shot the wolf, stunning it enough to make it retreat.

"I'll take this position and hold it. You keep moving, for God's sake!" She shouted, planting herself in the middle of the corridor.

"Mrs McCrimmon, I must protest!" The Captain shouted, moving towards her.

"There's no time, go!" Aneres shouted, pushing him in the chest, "You need to protect her Majesty," She said, locking eyes with the soldier. The captain looked about to protest, his eyes glazed slightly and he turned back to Victoria.

"Your Majesty, I went to look for the property and it was taken. The chest was empty," He explained, frantic. "I have it. It's safe," Victoria whispered, staring at Aneres in horror. "Then we must remove ourselves, Ma'am. Doctor, you stand as Her Majesty's Protector. And you, Sir Robert, you're a traitor to the crown," He snarled, lunging at the man. The Doctor, however, wasn't paying attention to the captain and instead moved to grab Aneres.

"Bullets can't stop it!" He shouted, shaking her by the shoulders, but she simply wrenched herself from his grasp.

"They'll buy you time. Now run!" Aneres shouted, pushing him away as the wolf reapproached. Rose grabbed the Doctor, and tugged him away to the library with Robert's assistance despite his screams of protest.

Aneres took a deep breath and carefully aimed, managing to strike the left eye, both front paw pads, and the left foot to slow the wolf. A smirk came to her lips, her voice ice cold, "Always aim for eyes," She whispered before taking off to the library. The wolf lunged, managing to rip her dress in several places before retreating in pain.

TEotOS

The doors to the library were quickly thrown open, revealing an incredibly disheveled Aneres, gasping for air. "Annie," The Doctor sobbed out, pulling her to him and slamming the doors shut. Aneres coughed and gasped in his arms, breathing in as much of his calming scent as she could. The Doctor tilted her head up, staring down into her eyes while the Captain, Victoria, Robert and Rose all gaped at the woman with various emotions.

"Never, ever do that again," He whispered, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

Aneres smiled weakly and whispered, "No promises," with a soft laugh. The Doctor buried his face into her hair while Robert and the Captain rushed to barricade the door.

"Wait a minute. Shush, shush, wait a minute," The Doctor whispered, listening for the wolf while continuing to hold Aneres. A single howl resounded.

"It's stopped," Aneres mumbled, pulling away from the Doctor to listen. The only sound is a soft sniff from the other side of the door before the wolf's steps and whimpers can be heard.

"It's gone," The Doctor whispered, relaxing just enough to only hold Aneres' hand.

"Listen," Rose snapped, glaring at the couple while the wolf continued to pad around.

"Is this the only door?" Captain Reynolds asked, turning to Robert.

"Yes. No!" He suddenly realized, lunging for the other door, followed by the Captain while they barricaded it shut.

"Shush," Rose snapped, fear and rage melting together in a dangerous fusion. "I don't understand. What's stopping it?" She demanded, glaring petulantly at the Doctor.

"Something inside this room. What is it? Why can't it get in?" Aneres wondered.

"I wasn't asking you," Rose snapped rudely.

"Watch your tone," Victoria snapped, shocking Rose. "That woman just saved your life and you're too busy complaining to thank or appreciate that deed." Aneres smiled at the monarch in thanks, and earned a smile in return. The Doctor glared at Rose, about to add to Victoria's comment when Aneres piped up.

"I'll tell you what, though." The Doctor stared at Aneres, his eyebrow raised, "What?" He asked gently, smiling down at her. "Werewolf," She whispered, excitement starting to form. He chuckled, "I know. You all right?" The Doctor asked, double, triple checking that his Tether was unharmed.

"I'm okay, yeah," Aneres whispered. Rose continued to glare at her though, her thoughts racing, _"Why couldn't she just let the captain die? Or just let herself die? Would've bought us more time,"_ She growled mentally, locking eyes with Aneres and letting out a soft growl.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am," Robert suddenly said, "It's all my fault. I should have sent you away. I tried to suggest something was wrong. I thought you might notice." He whispered, his voice filled with regret. "Did you think there was nothing strange about my household staff?" Robert asked, staring at the monarch with tears in his eyes.

"Well, they were bald, athletic. Your wife's away, I just thought you were happy," The Doctor joked, smiling at Aneres' silent giggle.

"I'll tell you what though, Ma'am, I bet you're not amused now," Rose murmured, smiling at the Queen, who merely glared while bristling with fury.

"Do you think this is funny?" She shouted, her body shaking. Aneres removed her hand from the Doctor, moving to wrap her arms around the woman.

"No, Ma'am. I'm sorry." Rose stammered, looking down at the floor, despite not understanding what she had done wrong.

"What, exactly, I pray tell me, someone, please. What exactly is that creature?" She demanded, staring up at Aneres.

"You'd call it a werewolf," Aneres explained slowly, Victoria's eyes widening.

"But technically it's a more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform," The Doctor interrupted, overly excited at the discovery of the creature.

"And should I trust you, sir?" The monarch shouted, whirling on him. "You who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent?" She demanded. Aneres calmly turned the monarch back to face her. "Your Majesty, I apologize for my husband, he has a condition where his accent changes under stress, it is an unusually rare condition, but nothing to be alarmed by." She whispered softly, calming the monarch down to some degree.

"This is not my world," Victoria whimpered, tears blossoming, "Werewolves don't exist, they don't." Aneres calmed the woman, gently shushing her and rubbing her back slowly.

"We will be okay," She whispered, the monarch sobbing softly at her words.

**Hello again everyone! The condition the Doctor has is in fact real, it is called dysprosody. It causes people to speak with accents that are not their own at completely random times, and helped fix that plot point for what I have planned. **

**Also, brief announcement, I have created an instagram specifically for my Fanfictions and profile. If you want to know when updates will happen, see my progress, send suggestions, feel free to follow christmasangel1225. Of course I will always appreciate reviews on here, but I thought this would be an easier way for me to directly communicate with my readers. Thank you so much for reading, review with comments, questions or critiques and I hope you are enjoying this story!**


	7. Tooth and Claw: Never Forgotten

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Isobel slowly rose to peer out the window and noticed an interesting addition to the monks' attire. "Mistletoe. They're all garlanded in mistletoe and the wolf doesn't attack them." She realized with a shocked gasp, turning back to the table and inspecting the pieces left over. "Who brought this into the kitchen?" She demanded, eyeing each of the maids.

"It must've been the Brethren," Flora piped up from behind the other maids.

Isobel nodded before scooping the pieces up, "Gather it up. Quickly. Every last scrap. Quick, now!" She ordered, her thoughts drifting back to her husband and wondering whether or not he had survived.

A thought suddenly came to her; in case he had survived, he would be unprotected without the mistletoe. She looked around the room, until her eyes landed on a scarf draped on the back of a chair. Isobel quickly grabbed it and threw it in the pan, watching it soak up all of the oil it could, and praying this would work.

TEotOS

The Doctor had turned his attention away from his distressed Tether and to the library doors, carefully inspecting every detail until his eyes landed on a carving. "Mistletoe. Sir Robert, did your father put that there?" He asked, turning to stare at the Lord.

"I don't know. I suppose," Robert stammered, incredibly overwhelmed and terrified as he stood in the library.

"On the other door, too," The Doctor remarked, his eyes flicking between the two, "No, a carving wouldn't be enough. I wonder," He whispered before leaning forward and licking the carvings, cheering at the taste that flooded his mouth.

"Viscum album, the oil of the mistletoe," He explained, gesturing at the carvings, "It's been worked into the wood like a varnish. How clever was your dad?" He rambled, grinning at Robert, "I love him. Powerful stuff, mistletoe. Bursting with lectins and viscotoxins," The Doctor finished, musing to himself silently.

"And the wolf's allergic to it?" Rose asked, moving to stand beside the Doctor.

"Well, it thinks it is," He explained, turning to look at her, "The monkey monk monks need a way of controlling the wolf, maybe they trained it to react against certain things," Rose nodded in understanding, glad that he was paying attention to her for once.

"Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon," Robert commented, the captain nodding from his place beside Aneres and Victoria.

"Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?" The Doctor snapped, his frustration reaching a boiling point.

"Being rude again," Aneres called, still comforting the Queen as best she could.

"Good. I meant that one," He snarked, glowering at the Lord, "You want weapons? We're in a library," The Doctor explained, gesturing around the room, "Books! Best weapons in the world. This room's the greatest arsenal we could have," He continued, grabbing books from shelves and chucking them at Rose despite her audible protests. "Arm yourself," He ordered, handing some off to Aneres and Victoria.

TEotOS

"Biology, Zoology. There might be something on wolves in here," Rose murmured, flicking through pages as quickly as she possibly could.

"Hold on, what about this? A book on mistletoe," Aneres called, holding up a book from her nook where Victoria had tucked herself up with the Captain.

"A book on magic," Rose shouted soon after, glaring at Aneres while passing the book to the Doctor and Robert.

"Some form of explosive," Robert mumbled, staring at the drawing before him.

"Hmm, that's the sort of thing," The Doctor drawled, leaning over Robert's shoulder to stare at the picture as well.

"Wolf's bane, what about that?" Rose asked, only to be ignored by the room. The captain slowly moved to the trio, fumbling through the book with the Doctor.

"Look what your old dad found. Something fell to Earth," Robert stared at what the Doctor had pointed out, seeing a rather old drawing. "

A spaceship?" Rose asked, a petulant frown possessing her lips as they continued to brush her off.

"A shooting star," Robert murmured before reading the caption below the picture, "In the year of our Lord 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit." His eyes suddenly widened, "That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the monastery," Robert gasped out, the pieces slowly fitting together.

"But that's over three hundred years ago. What's it been waiting for?" Rose asked, thoroughly confused.

"Maybe just a single cell survived," The Doctor hypothesized, "Adapting slowly down the generations, it survived through the humans, host after host after host," Robert nodded until a thought puzzled him.

"But why does it want the throne?" He asked, looking to the Doctor.

"That's what it wants. It said so. The- the Empire of the Wolf," Rose stammered out, a blush rising at the Doctor's eyes fixed to her.

"Imagine it. The Victorian Age accelerated. Starships and missiles fueled by coal and driven by steam, leaving history devastated in its wake," He whispered, resting his chin on his hand, his thoughts only interrupted by Aneres and Victoria making their way over.

"Sir Robert. If I am to die here," Victoria started, holding Aneres' hand to support herself.

"Don't say that, Your Majesty," Robert said, moving to reassure the woman before him.

"I would destroy myself rather than let that creature infect me," Victoria snapped, disgust present in her features, "But that's no matter. I ask only that you find someplace of safekeeping for something far older and more precious than myself," She demanded, pulling her hand from Aneres' grasp and reaching into her handbag.

"Hardly the time to worry about your valuables," Rose drawled, focusing on the Doctor's eyes. _"So beautiful, and all mine," _She thought to herself, her eyes gleaming with adoration.

"Thank you for your opinion, but there is nothing more valuable than this," Victoria snapped, pulling the Koh-I-Noor from her handbag.

Rose turned and gaped at the diamond, her eyes as wide as saucers, "Is that the Koh-I-Noor?" She asked, looking back up at the Doctor.

"Oh, yes. The greatest diamond in the world," Aneres whispered, keeping a respectful distance from the Monarch and her precious treasure. The captain smiled at her, taking her previous position to make sure nothing could jeopardize Victoria or her diamond.

"Given to me as the spoils of war. Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die," Victoria explained, looking up from the diamond to stare at the Doctor.

"Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough," He commented, a soft chuckle escaping the Queen at his words.

"Can I?" He asked, holding his hand out slightly. Victoria hesitantly passed him the diamond, keeping her eyes fixed on the precious stone, "That is so beautiful," He whispered, inspecting it closely. His eyes then drifted up to look at Aneres, _"Not as beautiful as you of course," _The Doctor whispered to her mentally, enjoying the smile that broke across her face.

"How much is that worth?" Rose asked, practically dying to just feel his eyes on her more.

"They say the wages of the entire planet for a whole week," The Doctor said, continuing to stare at the stone.

"Good job my mum's not here. She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing," Rose joked, beaming as the Doctor turned to look down at her.

"And she'd win," The Doctor whispered, wincing at the memory of Jackie's ferocity.

"Where is the wolf? I don't trust this silence," The captain murmured looking around the room.

"Why do you travel with it?" Aneres asked, moving to stand on the Doctor's other side and ignoring Rose's glare.

"My annual pilgrimage," Victoria murmured, his eyes glassy while she stared at the stone, "I'm taking it to Helier and Carew, the Royal Jewellers at Hazlehead. The stone needs recutting," She whispered, a lump forming in her throat.

"Oh, but it's perfect," Rose whispered, marvelling at the diamond while Victoria merely said, "My late husband never thought so."

"Now, there's a fact. Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down. It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting," The Doctor rambled, turning to the diamond to inspect it from multiple angles.

"He always said the shine was not quite right. But he died with it still unfinished," Victoria explained mournfully while wiping her eyes.

"Unfinished," Aneres whispered, turning to look up at the Doctor.

"Oh, yes," He cheered, tossing the stone to Victoria, who thankfully caught it. "There's a lot of unfinished business in this house," He whispered, facing Aneres while his mind ran at a million miles an hour.

"His father's research, and your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond," Aneres murmured, helping to organize his thoughts.

"Hold on, hold on. All these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected. Oh, my head, my head. What if this house, it's a trap for you. Is that right, Ma'am?" The Doctor rambled, turning back to Victoria and the Captain. "Obviously," They both replied, staring at him in confusion. "At least, that's what the wolf intended," The Doctor said, running his hands through his hair.

"But, what if there's a trap inside the trap?" Aneres finished, beaming at her Tether as he worked it out.

"Explain yourself, Doctor," Victoria demanded, crossing the distance between them in a few steps. "What if his father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all this was true, and they planned against it, laying the real trap not for you but for the wolf," The Doctor suddenly trailed off, staring up at the skylight, and the wolf atop it.

"That wolf there," Aneres gulped, grabbing Victoria's hand tightly. A small crack made it's way across the glass moments before the wolf fell through while the Doctor ushered them from the room, screaming, "Out! Out! Out!"

As soon as the Captain escaped from the library, the large doors were shut. "Your Majesty!" Robert shouted, running after the Queen and Aneres while Rose simply hovered around the Doctor, fear in her eyes.

"Get to the observatory!" He screamed at her, ignoring her flinch in favor of running from the wolf. The doors burst open, the wolf running until it was about to pounce on the blonde. However, Isobel rounded the corner, a scarf on one arm and pan in her hand whose contents had been deposited on the wolf.

"Good shot!" Aneres shouted before continuing to run.

"It was mistletoe," Isobel breathed out, eyes only for her beloved husband, who quickly turned to stare at her. "Isobel!" He cried out before pulling her into a passionate kiss. "Now, get back downstairs," Robert whispered while pulling away. Isobel let out a quiet sob before wrapping the scarf around his neck, "This will keep you safe, I soaked it in mistletoe." She whispered before pressing a kiss to his cheek. Robert smiled down at her, "Now go," He murmured before pulling away and chasing after the others.

"Come on!" The Doctor demanded. "The observatory's this way," Robert shouted joining the others while they made their way up the stairs.

TEotOS

Aneres threw the doors open, bringing Victoria inside despite Rose trying to shove her out of the way. "No mistletoe in these doors because your father wanted the wolf to get inside," Aneres explained, turning to Robert while Victoria steadied her breathing.

"I just need time," The Doctor whispered, "Is there any way of barricading this?" The Captain demanded, staring at Robert.

"Just do your work and I'll defend it," Robert ordered, staring the men down.

"If we could bind them shut with rope or something," The Doctor trailed off, staring at the scarf from Isobel.

"Your wife is a genius!" Aneres shrieked in delight, watching with a smile as the Doctor bound the handles together with the thick wool. Robert heaved out a sigh of relief, backing away from the door while leaning on the Captain for support.

"Your wives' quick thinking might have saved us all," The Captain said to both of the men before him, chuckling at the pride in their eyes at the thought.

"Your Majesty, the diamond," The Doctor suddenly demanded, holding his hand out for the precious stone.

"For what purpose?" The monarch asked, her voice filled to the brim with suspicion.

"The purpose it was designed for," Aneres whispered, gently taking the diamond from her and passing it to the Time Lord.

"He won't- He won't destroy it? Oh I couldn't bear it if he did, Albert so loved that diamond," Victoria quietly sobbed into Aneres' shoulder. The Time Lady gently shushed the elderly woman, her hand running up and down her back. "Not to worry darling, my husband understands how much Albert meant to you. He would never destroy anything that was left of him," She assured, smiling down at Victoria. The Queen sniffled, wiping her eyes and cheeks dry. "You are a very kind woman," She whispered, patting Aneres' cheek.

"Rose," The Doctor called, starting to raise the Endeavor from its lowered position. The blonde ran over, staring at him in confusion, "Lift it. Come on," He ordered, gesturing at the end of the telescope.

"Is this the right time for stargazing?" His companion asked, grimacing at the weight of the scope while she attempted to lift it.

"Yes, it is," Aneres snapped, the monarch shaking in fear as the wolf continued to bang on the door. Robert and the Captain ran over, helping Rose raise the telescope higher.

"You said this thing doesn't work," Rose suddenly exclaimed, raising her eyebrows at the Doctor.

"It doesn't work as a telescope because that's not what it is," The Doctor snapped, thoroughly done with her questions and horrid attitude, "It's a light chamber. It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up," He explained, Robert and the Captain nodding with his words.

"It won't work. There's no electricity," Rose shouted, completely confused.

"Moonlight," Aneres called, "You'll be using moonlight," she explained, gesturing to the window.

"But the wolf needs moonlight. It's made by moonlight," Rose sneered, turning back to the Doctor.

"You're seventy percent water but you can still drown. Come on! Come on!" The Doctor shouted, finally putting the scope in place with the help of the humans. The moonlight shone through in an intense beam, only being magnified by the diamond, which the Time Lord hastily threw in front of the beam just as the wolf broke through the doors. Aneres quickly turned, the shrapnel bouncing off her back while Victoria was hidden away. When she looked up the wolf was suddenly enveloped in light, his body hovering in mid-air.

"Make it brighter. Let me go." The man pleaded, his eyes filled with pain and despair as he regarded the Doctor. With a nod, the Time Lord slowly turns up a dial, strengthening the beam just enough to destroy the wolf, who gave one last howl. He then looked over to see Victoria cowering in Aneres' arms, a small cut on her face.

"Your Majesty? Did it bite you?" The Doctor asked, running over to the two women.

"No, it's, it's a cut, that's all," Aneres murmured, continuing to soothe the woman. "If that thing bit her-"

She quickly cut the Doctor off, "I saw it myself, it was a piece of wood. Leave her be," Aneres snapped, glaring at the Doctor, on the defensive. He took a step back, merely staring at the cut from a distance and frowning to himself.

TEotOS

The next morning, the Doctor, Aneres, and Rose knelt before Queen Victoria, who was wielding a heavy sword. "By the power vested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Sir Doctor McCrimmon of Tardis," She tapped his shoulders with the sword, "By the power vested in my by the Church and the State, I name thee Dame Aneres of Tardis," Aneres blushed as Victoria tapped her shoulders with the sword, "By the power vested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Dame Rose of the Powell Estate, by request of Dame Aneres," Rose's smile immediately soured.

"You may stand," Victoria finished with a smug smile on her face. "Many thanks, Ma'am," The Doctor and Aneres murmured, bowing and curtsying before her. "Thanks. They're never going to believe this back home," Rose whispered, her vanity and self absorption continuing to shock Aneres.

"Your Majesty," The Doctor piped up, commanding the Queen's attention, "you said last night about receiving no message from the great beyond. I think your husband cut that diamond to save your life," He whispered, smiling at her.

"He's protecting you even now, Ma'am, from beyond the grave," Aneres finished, moving to hug the woman tightly. "Indeed," Victoria whispered before pulling away.

"Then you may think on this also. That I am not amused," Victoria snapped, glaring at the Doctor and Rose, the latter receiving a glare from the Time Lady with her cheer of "Yes". "Not remotely amused. And henceforth I banish you," Victoria declared, smirking victoriously. The Doctor and Rose gaped, while Aneres merely shook her head, unsurprised.

"I'm sorry?" The Time Lord asked, leaning forward.

"I have rewarded you, Sir Doctor, and now you are exiled from this empire, never to return," She snapped, "I don't know what you are, the two of you," she gestured at Rose and the Doctor, "or where you're from, but I know that you consort with stars and magic and think it fun."

Aneres giggled mentally, delighting in the fury brewing on Rose's face. "But your world is steeped in terror and blasphemy and death, and I will not allow it. You will leave these shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you came to stray so far from all that is good, and how much longer you may survive this terrible life," Victoria shouted, Robert, Isobel and the Captain gaping at her words. "Now leave my world, and do not return unless you are accompanied by Dame Aneres," She finished, leaving them all shocked.

TEotOS

Aneres stared at the letter she held in her hands from Queen Victoria, trailing after the Doctor and his peeved companion. "No, but the funny thing is, Queen Victoria did actually suffer a mutation of the blood. It's historical record. She was haemophiliac. They used to call it the Royal Disease. But it's always been a mystery because she didn't inherit it. Her mum didn't have it, her dad didn't have it. It came from nowhere," The Doctor explained, his voice seeming to bring Rose out of her horrid mood.

"What, and you're saying that's a wolf bite?" Rose asked, staring at him curiously.

"Well, maybe haemophilia is just a Victorian euphemism," The Doctor wondered, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"For werewolf?" Rose asked, trying to call the Doctor's bluff. Their words slowly faded into oblivion, however, as Aneres continued to stare at the envelope she held. Victoria had been adamant in her order that she read the letter in private, her ominous words echoing with each glance at the elegant script on the front of the envelope.

"Aneres, come on, we're leaving!" The Doctor shouted, watching his Tether stare at the letter Victoria had given to her before their departure. Aneres looked up and quickly ran over, tucking the letter into her dress as she went. He smiled, letting her in before setting the Tardis on a new course, dematerializing as suddenly as it had arrived yesterday afternoon.

TEotOS

Victoria walked out of the Torchwood estate, Captain Reynolds just behind her, "What will you do? Will you stay here?" She asked, approaching Robert and Isobel. The former had received an official pardon given his family's help in saving them all, and his genuine regret for the night's events, much to their delight.

"I don't think we could," Isobel murmured, refusing to look at the house that had held so much misery in so little time.

"We'll sell it, or we'll pull this place down," Robert murmured, taking a deep breath while holding his wife close. "While my father's work was extraordinary, and it saved us all, the only memories I will have are of my wife being taken from me, nearly being killed, and seeing so many others perish," He explained, turning to face the Queen.

"Although we may not speak of these events in public, they will not be forgotten, I promise you that. Your father's and my late husband's genius, they will live on," Victoria said, bowing her head slightly before looking back at them.

"But how?" Isobel asked, turning to face her.

"I saw last night that Great Britain has enemies beyond imagination, and we must defend our borders on all sides," Victoria explained, "I propose an Institute to investigate these strange happenings and to fight them. I would call it Torchwood. The Torchwood Institute," She declared, looking at the estate's edifice. "And if this Doctor should return without Aneres, then he should beware, because Torchwood will be waiting," Victoria finished before walking over to her carriage and departing the estate.

Once comfortable, she removed the diamond from her handbag once again, tears forming at the thought of who had saved her. "Thank you, my darling Albert," She whispered, holding it tightly while she cried over her husband, and his never-ending love for her.

**HELLO everyone! The end of Tooth and Claw has occurred, how are we feeling? I hated how the Captain and Robert had to perish when there could've been solutions, so I got a little creative. Please leave a review with questions, comments and critiques, I always want to know what you think! The next chapter will be an original, I'm so excited! Have a great day my dears and I hope that you are still enjoying this story.**


	8. New Outfit, Old Memories

Aneres slowly moved further into the Tardis, still completely focused on what she had received from Victoria. "What's that there?" The Doctor asked, gesturing at the letter in Aneres' hands.

The Time Lady looked up, "Victoria gave me this when we were leaving, told me to read it when I got back home," She explained, holding the letter out for him to inspect.

Rose scoffed, "You liar, Queen Victoria wouldn't write to the likes of you." Aneres let out a sigh while ignoring the blonde. The Doctor slowly brought the letter closer to inspect it.

"Yep, that's her official seal." The Doctor affirmed while he passed it back to Aneres. The Time Lady grinned at her Tether while sending a smug glare to Rose, who looked positively vile.

"I'm going to go read this, I'll see you later," Aneres excused herself from the room and made her way down a corridor.

The Doctor turned to stare at Rose, "You really need to stop this attitude of yours towards Aneres." He stated, his voice ice cold. The blonde choked on air, in shock,

"She's constantly leaving me out of the loop, insulting me, monopolizing you, showing off, how am I supposed to be pleasant around that?!" She demanded, her words steadily growing into an indignant shriek. The Doctor sighed and took two steps towards her.

"Rose, you're my companion and my friend, but Aneres is also a friend, and I won't tolerate you treating her this way for much longer," Rose glared up at him, his words igniting a deep, jealous fury. With a snarl, she quickly turned on her heel and stormed from the console room, ignoring his shouts for her to come back.

TEotOS

Aneres continued to make her way down the corridors, keeping an eye out for her door. Once she had rediscovered its place in the Tardis she opened it and ducked into the safety of her room. She then removed her shoes, leaving her feet clad in stockings while she climbed into bed and made herself comfortable. The Tardis let out a soft hum and locked her door, much to the Time Lady's amusement.

"You can leave it unlocked," She called out, frowning at the Tardis' discouraged hum, but deciding to ignore it. With a click, the door unlocked, and Aneres turned her attention back to the envelope in her hands. She slowly opened the wax seal on the letter and unfolded the paper gently, taking great care not to rip anything. Once it was unfolded, her green eyes slowly focused on the words in front of her, and a soft smile rose to her lips.

"_Dear Aneres, I hope that you and your husband have returned to your home safely and that you have begun to put our shared events aside in your memory. In light of said events I have created the Torchwood Institute and based it in that same estate as Sir Robert and Lady Isobel have decided to depart from there. This is my protective measure against those that would harm my subjects, as they are my all-consuming concern as the reigning monarch," _Aneres chuckled at her seriousness, the maternal care she had for her people.

_"This does apply to your husband, with his otherworldly knowledge, and ability to bring great harm to Britain. I know that this will bring you great pain, to know that he is an enemy, but rest assured child, there are some exceptions to this decree. Should you be with him, your kindness towards me during that fateful night shall protect him from any attacks. While I can infer that you possess a similar knowledge to your husband, you never left the rest of us in the dark, spouting out facts and theorems we could only dream of. You cared enough to ensure that my company made it out of that house alive, and with minimal injuries to our bodies and minds," _Aneres wiped her eye as a lone, thankful tear ran down her face. She had always been someone to care for those that the Doctor was helping, especially since he often forgot that they were as equally terrified and in need of comfort as he was, even if they didn't show it.

_"My thanks are everlasting for that care from you, and in honor of it, I am extending an open invitation in your name. Should you ever need a friend to confide in, a place to reside in times of distress, my doors shall always be open to receive you. I also would like to extend a warning, for I fear you have an enemy in your midst even as you leave this place. That Rose Tyler has many an eye for your husband, and I urge you to be watchful of her troublesome actions in the presence of your husband." _Aneres rolled her eyes, "You didn't need to tell me, darling, she already makes it pretty bloody obvious," she murmured before continuing to read the letter.

_"Should these actions achieve the worst of accomplishments, write to me and I will do everything in my power to remove you from that situation. Once again, my sincerest thanks for your assistance, your care, and your kindness, and I hope to see you in the near future."_

Aneres slowly folded the letter back into its envelope, smiling softly while tears leaked down her face. "Oh, Victoria," She whispered to herself, "You are truly a magnificent woman." She then swung her legs over the edge of her bed and stood up, pausing to stretch her sore muscles. The sound of her door opening caused her to pause and turn around, a frustrated sigh escaping her at the sight of Rose standing in her threshold.

"Do you believe that you can simply enter someone's room without knocking first?" Aneres demanded, her hands resting on her hips.

"Oh, you want to talk about being entitled?" Rose demanded, crossing the room to get in her face, "How about we think back on the fact that you've been showing off just because you're a Time Lady?" She snapped, glaring up at the woman, who merely laughed right in her face.

"Oh Rose, this isn't me showing off," Rose scoffed, about to respond.

"This is me being a caring individual for the victims of horrible events and reaping the benefits while you give the Doctor puppy eyes and fawn over his every word, being completely and utterly useless in the meantime," Aneres continued, stopping Rose in her tracks. The blonde gaped at her, fury blossoming as her cheeks darkened and eyes narrowed at the raven.

"I understand, better than anyone, that the Doctor is absolutely gorgeous in mind, body, and soul, but I somehow still have more humanity than you when I'm in the same room with him," Aneres smirked, watching Rose stumble back slightly.

"How dare you!" Rose snarled, lunging forward, only to fall on her face. Aneres chuckled, having moved out of the way only a second before.

"Poor, poor Rose," She murmured, beginning to leave the room, "If you want to dish it out you better be able to take it," Rose sniffled, hate-filled tears streaming down her face while Aneres departed her room and made her way down the corridors. The blonde quickly got back up, moving to chase the woman, only to find herself being directed to the console room. A frustrated shriek escaped her as she continued to try and find that bloody woman.

TEotOS

Aneres walked briskly, her tattered dress flowing in the slight breeze she was creating with her movements. Eventually, she found herself in front of the wardrobe, an insistent hum from the Tardis forcing her to go in and change her clothes. Upon entry she discarded the dress and made her way through the racks, completely nude. The Tardis let out a scandalized sort of shriek in her mind, badgering her endlessly, while Aneres merely cackled.

"Oh darling, this is certainly not the first time I have been naked here," She drawled, running her fingers on the various fabrics. The Tardis continued jabbering in her mind, growing more and more frantic the longer Aneres took. Finally, Aneres found the drawer where undergarments were kept. She retrieved a matching set of lacy, blue undergarments which consisted of a bra and panties, nothing too extravagant. A squeak drew her eyes back up, where they locked on the chocolate orbs of the Doctor. The Tardis gave a defeated hum before departing her mind and lurking somewhere.

"You-You're," The Doctor stammered, looking straight up at the ceiling.

"Naked?" Aneres asked, slowly moving over to him.

"Y-Yes," He whispered, his mouth dry as he avoided staring at her figure.

"Not entirely," Aneres suddenly said, moving away from him and down another aisle, "I was earlier though! You should turn up the heat in here by the way, not exactly a great environment for being nude," She jested, cackling at the blush that rose on his cheeks.

The Doctor gulped, images floating across his mind of what she looked like completely nude. He hadn't seen her fully in this regeneration, but it was clear this one was equally as bold as her previous ones.

"Oh relax Doctor, I'm about to pick my newest outfit, and I'm going to need an opinion on whether it's flattering or not." Aneres explained, frowning at the clothing in front of her.

"You always look delightful," The Doctor called, trying to regain control of himself, "You could wear a bin bag and still be gorgeous," He said, his words completely sincere as they made eye contact.

"Flattery will get you nowhere darling," Aneres shouted with a playful smirk on her lips.

"It isn't flattery if it's true!" He called back, making his way down the aisle just to the left of hers. A delighted laugh left her and brought a smile to the Doctor's face, thoroughly enjoying their playful banter. She then turned back to the clothing and grabbed a black and silver striped sweater, a pair of blue distressed jeans, green leather ankle boots, and a green headband.

"Let me try this on, I'll be back for your verdict," She called while walking over to a cubicle. Her body quickly wiggled into the outfit, grinning at her reflection in the mirror opposite her. The sweater clung to her figure but was still warm, the jeans showed up her sculpted legs and ass, helped along by the slight height that the ankle booties were giving her. For a final touch, she slipped the headband in, her curls puffing out around it and framing her face delicately.

"How do I look?" The Doctor spun around at Aneres inquiry, his jaw promptly dropping at the sight of her. Aneres blushed, moving closer so he could inspect her better. His eyes scanned the outfit, from the curve of her breasts against the stretchy fabric of the sweater, the dip leading to her hips, the slope of her thighs and calves, leading to her dainty shoes, and blushing when his eyes lingered for a shade too long.

"See something you like?" Aneres asked, taking another step forward and smirking up at him.

"You're going to be the death of me," He whispered, grabbing her hips and pulling her to him.

"Ah ah ah," Aneres scolded while pulling away, "If you want to get handsy the least you could do is make me dinner," She whispered, watching his eyes darken with restrained hunger for her.

"Very well," He husked, linking his arm with hers, "To the kitchen we go!" He cheered, brightening up and skipping down the hall with her.

TEotOS

Aneres grinned when they entered the kitchen, hoisting herself up onto the island while the Doctor gathered ingredients. "Are you still as abysmal as you were back home?" Aneres asked with mischief in her eyes.

"Excuse me, dear, I happen to have become quite proficient in the culinary arts," The Doctor replied, his voice in a posh accent while he giggled. The Time Lady watched her Tether in amusement as he started cutting up some meat and vegetables.

"So, who taught you to cook?" She asked, moving to sit with her legs tucked under her body.

"Around a century ago, the Tardis underwent a major energy surge, it caused her to have a consciousness for a period of time, which lead to her teaching me how to properly cook for myself," The Doctor explained, wincing as the Tardis let out a pained hum, remembering that experience.

Aneres cackled, "I don't think it was a particularly pleasant experience for her," She whispered conspiratorially, delighting in the Doctor's embarrassed blush.

"I did get better you know! It only took about… five fires?" Aneres descended into a giggle fit at The Doctor's words, hiding her face in her hands. The Doctor smiled, chuckling along while he threw the meat and vegetables in a wok and swirled them around.

TEotOS

Rose let out a shriek, furiously kicking the walls of the console room when she arrived back there for the fifth time in a row. "Let me go!" She shouted, walking out of the room only to return once again. "God, stop defending her!" A furious growl resonated from the Tardis, unable to stand the slander and threats of violence that Rose was making towards Aneres.

The human glared at the center console, "She doesn't mean anything! All she is to the Doctor is a reminder that his people are gone!" Rose screeched, smacking the console with her fists. "I'm the one that matters. Not her, not anyone else, just me! I fixed him, I made him better!" She continued, crying tears stained black with her cheap mascara.

"He'll see," She suddenly whispered, "I'll show him how much she doesn't matter," The Tardis let out a sigh before letting her go down the hall, only to end up in her own bedroom. Before Rose could react the Tardis slammed the door shut and locked it.

TEotOS

Aneres took a small bite from her meal, staring at the man across from her, "This might just be better than my cooking!" She exclaimed, smiling at the Doctor with pride.

"Nothing is as good as your cooking," The Doctor replied as he returned the smile, "You fed both of our families every weekend, remember?" Aneres laughed, memories of their families coming over for dinner, kids playing in the fields behind their home, and she and The Doctor playing cards with their old schoolmates running through her mind.

"You always tried to hide the desserts from my Nan and Pa, and you'd cheat at nearly every game of poker," She remembered fondly, taking another bite of her food.

"Well, your old Dad and Nan never left anything for me by the end of dinner!" He replied, beaming at her, "And I only cheated because Lori was counting cards and helping Wryanim win."

Aneres cackled at his words, "Those two were the best mates," She murmured, smiling fondly.

The Doctor nodded, "I still remember when they found out we were Tethers and nearly bludgeoned me," He whispered with a chuckle.

"If you hadn't decided to do it by kissing me in public they might have shown you mercy," Aneres said, smirking at the Doctor.

"It's not my fault you were, and still are, absolutely breathtaking," The Doctor said, blushing a dark red at the memory. Aneres smiled and took some more bites of her food before standing up and moving to stand beside him.

"Do you remember the time when my mother walked into our house, completely unannounced, and you walked into the living room wearing nothing but a towel and some shaving cream?" She asked, running her hands through his hair idly. "Oh god," He groaned, covering his face at the thought, "I thought she was going to pass on right then and there," He murmured, shaking his head from side to side while laughing.

Aneres smiled, kneeling slightly to wrap her arms around him. "She really liked you, thankfully," She whispered, squeezing him tightly. The Doctor smiled and squeezed her arm gently.

"My parents adored you," He whispered, "I remember when I came home from our graduation and they immediately dragged me right back out the door to go to the party your Nan had organized," Aneres chuckled at the memory of him showing up at the party, his mum dragging him by the ear.

"God, things were so simple back then," He whispered, turning to stare at her face.

"Yes, but if everything was simple there would be no adventure," Aneres replied as she pressed a soft kiss to his temple.

"How very true," The Doctor murmured before slowly standing to hug her properly. "At least we still have each other," He said while he rested his head atop hers. Aneres nodded slightly as she breathed in his scent, listened to his hearts, and stood in his embrace.

TEotOS

Rose raised her head from its place on her pillow, the sound of her mobile having woken her from the sleep all of her crying had induced. She quickly fished the phone from her pocket, relieved at the name showing up with the call, and opened it. "Hello Mickey," Rose said, smiling as his happy voice piped up.

"Hey Rose, how's life with the Doctor?" He asked, beaming at the sound of her voice.

"Not that great, to be honest," Rose murmured, drawing her knees up to her chest.

"Talk to me, what's wrong?" Mickey demanded, closing his laptop and giving her his full, undivided attention.

"The Doctor found another one of his kind," Rose began, "A Time Lady, called Aneres. We found her about a week or so ago, on a different planet. She's been, horrid in all honesty," Rose murmured, a familiar resentment bubbling up in her heart.

Mickey frowned, "How so?" He asked, leaning forward in his chair.

"Well, she constantly leaves me out of conversations with the Doctor, makes incredibly snide comments, and is completely entitled around me just because she's a Time Lady and I'm a human," Rose explained, huffing in annoyance. "I honestly don't know what the Doctor sees in her, she's really quite awful," She continued as she inspected her cuticles and played with her hair.

"She does sound pretty terrible, and I have just the thing to distract you," Mickey said, his voice secretive but cheerful.

Rose grinned and sat up, "Oh? Do tell," She demanded while sliding out of bed. "Well, there have been a lot of UFO sightings in the area surrounding this one school, and some of the students have been going mysteriously ill or missing," Mickey explained, leaning back in his chair while he spoke. "Seems like the perfect mystery for you and the Doctor!" He finished, smiling at the thought of Rose coming back home.

"I'll ask the Doctor if we can go, but I think he'll be pretty intrigued," Rose answered, grinning as she was finally able to open her bedroom door. She made her way down the halls, searching for the Doctor while she and Mickey continued to talk. All of a sudden the Doctor's laugh resounded from the kitchen, causing her to turn around walk over. However, the sight within the room made her want to be physically ill. "I'll call you back," Rose whispered before hanging up.

Aneres smiled up at the Doctor, having pulled from the hug ever so slightly to look up at his face. Her hands rose up and cupped his cheeks, her fingers brushing against her sideburns.

"Am I interrupting something?" They jumped apart as Rose's voice rang out from the doorway.

"No, you're fine," The Doctor said, his voice significantly higher than normal. Aneres giggled while picking up the plates from their meal together. Rose glared at the food and dishes, realizing exactly what had happened while she had been hidden away by the Tardis.

"Mickey just called, says there's something going on at a school," Rose said, schooling her expression as best she could. The Doctor turned to look at Aneres, who smiled and nodded, "Well then, guess we'll go and investigate!" The Doctor said, bounding out of the room towards the console. Aneres watched as Rose hurried to follow, chuckling to herself as Rose tried so very very hard.

"This will be interesting," She murmured, widening her stance as the Tardis went into motion and she washed the dishes, humming to herself.


	9. School Reunion: Familiar Faces

Aneres looked up from a book in her hands as she walked down the hallways of Deffry Vale High School to meet the eyes of the Headmaster. She smiled at the man, who returned the smile while he continued down to the office. Just in front of his door, a young woman is sitting on an uncomfortable chair, looking quite ill.

"What do you want?" He demanded, staring down at the child.

"The nurse sent me, sir. I was in English and I got a headache," She explained, her voice raspy.

"Then don't bother me, go home," Finch ordered, opening his door and making his way inside.

The girl spoke up, "I can't," She murmured, looking down at the ground.

"Why, is your mother at work?" Finch asked, growing frustrated.

"I live in Ambrose Hall. The children's home," She explained, her eyes still fixed on the ground.

"No parents. No one to miss you," Finch whispered, ignoring the girl's flinch at his words. "I see why the nurse sent you. You poor child," He continued, grimacing slightly with his next words. "Poor, thin, child. Come inside," The girl followed him into his office, wincing in pain as her headache worsened. "It's nearly time for lunch," Finch murmured to himself while shutting and locking the door. He then turned on the girl, his body morphing right before her eyes, and bearing down on her with sharp teeth that devoured her screaming body.

TEotOS

The Doctor smiled at Aneres as she walked into the classroom just across from his, where she was now working as a mathematics teacher. He then turned his attention back to his own physics pupils, "Good morning, class. Are we sitting comfortably?" The Time Lord asked, turning to the board after a complete lack of response. "So, physics. Physics, eh? Physics. Physics. Physics! Physics. Physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics," He rambled, writing that very word on the board in big letters. "I hope one of you is getting all this down," The Doctor joked, wincing at the lack of enthusiasm from his pupils. "Okay let's see what you know. Two identical strips of nylon are charged with static electricity and hung from a string so they can swing freely. What would happen if they were brought near each other?" He asked, surveying the students and beaming when a boy with red hair and large spectacles raised his hand.

"Yes, er, what's your name?" He asked, moving forward slightly. "Milo," The young man replied. "Milo! Off you go," The Doctor ordered, leaning back and crossing his arms. "They'd repel each other because they have the same charge," He replied, quickly, but sounding bored. ""Correctamundo!" He cheered before he immediately cringed, "A word I have never used before and hopefully never will again," He murmured before continuing to ask the class questions.

TEotOS

Aneres grinned at her class of year 13 students, briefly introduced herself, and then hurriedly dove into her lesson for the day. "So today, we'll be reviewing some basic principles of Calculus, just to test how much you've learned this year," She explained, writing a couple words on the board. "Now, who can tell me the definition of a limit?" Aneres asked, turning back to her kids, the response lackluster at best. A sigh passed her lips while her eyes flicked across every student before her, pausing at the sight of a small hand in the back of the room, stretching out towards the ceiling.

"Um, the hand in the back, could you stand please so I can see you?" Aneres asked, moving forward slightly. A girl stood up, her incredibly full-bodied hair nearly completely eclipsing her face, on which a pair of horn-rimmed glasses sat. "What's your name?' Aneres asked, smiling at the girl.

"Minerva," She responded, brushing her hair from her face idly.

"Well, Minerva, what's the definition of a limit?" Aneres asked, leaning back slightly on the edge of her desk.

"The number that a function will approach from both the right and the left," She immediately responded, her posture strong and confident.

"Great!" Aneres cheered, grabbing a sweet from a drawer and tossing it to her. Minerva quickly caught it and plopped down in her chair, a hesitant smile on her face.

"Now, can anyone define an Inflection Point for me?" She asked, grinning as more hands raised once they found out they could earn a sweet for a correct response. "Yes, you," Aneres called, picking a rather lanky, blonde lad by the name of Riley.

"U-um i-isn't it," Her eyebrow raised as a few students started snickering at the stutter.

"Excuse me, Riley," She murmured softly, smiling at him. The students quickly stopped snickering as her eyes narrowed at them. "I will not tolerate the ridicule of your peers in my classroom, or outside of it. I'm sure you would not appreciate it if I laughed at every attempt you all made to answer questions, so do not do it to others." Aneres snapped, making eye contact with each and every student.

Riley blushed in appreciation before continuing his explanation, "I-inflection points a-are when a-a curve's concavity ch-changes ma'am," Riley finally stammered out, beaming at Aneres' smile.

"Once again, correct!" She said, tossing him a sweet. "Now let's continue," Aneres said, grinning at the raised hands.

TEotOS

"Two to Milo," The Doctor murmured, inspecting the redhead before him. "Right then, Milo, tell me this. True or false. The greater the dampening of the system, the quicker it loses energy to its surroundings." He demanded, his questions in rapid succession now.

"False," He replied.

"What is non-coding DNA?" He asked.

"DNA that doesn't code for a protein," Milo responded immediately.

"Sixty-five thousand nine hundred and eighty-three times five?" The Doctor asked, leaning on the table before Milo.

"Three hundred and twenty-nine thousand nine hundred and fifteen," The Doctor's eyes narrowed at the response, finally asking, "How do you travel faster than light?" The other students rolled their eyes, no way Milo would know that one.

"By opening a quantum tunnel with an FTL factor of thirty-six point seven recurring," The boy responded, causing the students to chuckle in disbelief and the Doctor to stagger backward in shock.

TEotOS

The Doctor eagerly chatted with Aneres about Milo, steadily making his way down the queue for lunch. His grin widened upon the sight of Rose, who only had hateful eyes for his Tether as she scooped mash onto their trays. He then made his way over to an unoccupied table with Aneres and started eating with her.

"While Milo's knowledge is definitely interesting, I really like my class. They needed some motivation to get going, but they're really quite bright." Aneres responded, nibbling on a chip and then cringing in disgust. "These are-" Aneres murmured.

"Horrid, I know," The Doctor spat, pushing the tray away from him before turning his attention back to her. "I knew you would enjoy doing this," He murmured, holding her hand, "You always led our study groups in school and could've taught there as an adult!"

Aneres blushed at the reminder. "Well, I had a few distractions after we graduated," She murmured, raising an eyebrow at him. "True, true," He mused as Rose stomped over to wipe down their table.

"Two days," She grumbled, her hands furiously swiping across the table with a rag.

"Sorry, could you just?" Aneres asked, pointing at an invisible spot on the table.

"There's a bit of gravy," The Doctor added, teasing his companion ever so slightly.

"No, no, just, just there," Aneres continued, snickering at the blonde's clear annoyance.

"Two days, we've been here," Rose continued, plopping down across from the two Gallifreyans.

"Blame your boyfriend. He's the one who put us onto this," The Doctor retorted, raising an eyebrow at the blonde, "And he was right. Boy in class this morning, got a knowledge way beyond planet Earth," He continued, watching Aneres slowly pick at the rest of her food.

"You eating those chips?" Rose asked, pointing at their trays. "Nah, they're a bit different," Aneres said, pushing the trays towards her. "I think they're gorgeous," Rose groaned in between mouthfuls of chips, "Wish I had school dinners like this," She mumbled, devouring the food.

"It's very well behaved, this place," Aneres noted, watching every student sit prim and calm at their tables.

"Mmm," Rose said, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"I thought there'd be happy slapping hoodies. Happy slapping hoodies with ASBOs. Happy slapping hoodies with ASBOs and ringtones. Huh? Huh? Oh, yeah. Don't tell me I don't fit in," The Doctor rambled, leaning back and grinning at Aneres despite her raised eyebrow.

"You have never fit in at school," She commented, delighting in the mildly offended look on his face.

"I fit in just fine thank you!" He retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Uh-huh, sure," Aneres murmured, nibbling on a biscuit.

"You are not permitted to leave your station during a sitting," Their attention was immediately drawn to the lunch lady looming over the Doctor as she glared daggers at Rose.

"I was just talking to these teachers," Rose explained, gesturing at the Doctor and Aneres. "Hello!" The Time Lord cheered, waving at the lady while Aneres merely smiled. "She doesn't like the chips," Rose whispered, sending a smug look at Aneres.

"The menu has been specifically designed by the headmaster to improve concentration and performance," The lunch lady snapped at Aneres.

"Oh ma'am, I'm sure you are doing everything to help these students, I just have sensory issues with texture and taste, and it messed with the chips," Aneres quickly lied, smiling at the lunch lady who simply nodded in approval.

"Now, get back to work," Rose's smug grin dropped at the woman's orders while the lunch lady stalked off.

"See? This is me. Dinner lady," Rose snapped, gesturing at herself while storming off.

"I'll have the crumble!" Aneres called, eliciting a chuckle from the Doctor.

"She's so going to kill you," The Doctor whispered in her ear, still smiling. However, Aneres' attention was soon drawn to Mr. Wagner, a Chemistry teacher at the school who was making his way towards a table of grade 12 students.

"Melissa. You'll be joining my class for the next period. Milo's failed me, so it's time we moved you up to the top class," He explained, smiling at the girl before him before turning his attention to the boy next to her. "Kenny, not eating the chips?" He demanded, raising both his eyebrows at the pupil. "I'm not allowed," Kenny whispered, his eyes glued to the table in discomfort. "Luke. Extra class. Now," Wagner demanded, frustrated at the students.

Aneres frowned at the display, watching him leave until her attention was drawn to the Headmaster, who stood above the canteen, observing everything. His eyes found hers, his lips formed a predatory smirk and Aneres looked away as he stalked off into the corridors of the school.

TEotOS

Rose looked up from drying down the pans as the team of dinner ladies slowly wheeled a large metal oil barrel across the room. "Careful. Keep it steady. Don't spill a drop," The head lady whispered from behind a mask while their gloved hands shook. "I said, keep it steady. Careful. That's it. Easy now. Steady." She murmured, grinning upon wheeling it into the designated corner for the oil. "Right. Second barrel. Quickly now!" She ordered as Rose's mobile began to ring with a call from Mickey.

"What you got?" Rose demanded, tucking herself into a corner.

"Confirmation," Mickey replied, typing away on a computer, "I just got into army records. Three months ago, massive UFO activity," He explained, "They logged over forty sightings. Lights in the sky, all of that. Rose listened intently while her eyes stayed glued to the team of dinner ladies.

"I can't get any photos, because then it gets all classified and secret. Keeps locking me out," He grumbled, glaring at the logo of Torchwood blazing across the computer screens.

"Tell you what, though," Rose whispered, "Three months ago, turns out all the kitchen staff was replaced. And this lot are weird."

Mickey raised an eyebrow at her words, "See? There's definitely something going on," He replied, his voice filled with smugness, "I was right to call you home."

Rose's smile fell, "I thought maybe you called me home just, well, just to call me home," She murmured, her desire for male attention flaring up in an inferno.

"Do you think I'd just invent an emergency?" Mickey asked, completely confused by Rose's words.

"You could've done," Rose whispered, blushing slightly until her smile fell at his next words.

"That's the last thing I'd do," Mickey said, remembering every time he had been put aside for the Doctor and how much happier Rose had been because of it.

"Watch it!" A dinner lady shouted, glaring at the lady across from her.

"Because every time I see you," He continued, despite Rose being distracted, "An emergency just gets in the way." Rose gaped as the barrel tipped slightly and sloshed onto the dinner lady, who promptly released a shriek of ungodly pain.

"I've got to go," Rose whispered, hanging up on Mickey as she started dialing 999.

"Get her up, get her up!" The head lady shouted, clambering to put the barrel back in an upright position. "What're you doing?" She then demanded at the sight of Rose dialing on her phone.

"Calling an ambulance," Rose said, stunned that the lady hadn't already done so.

"No need. She's quite all right," Her response was quickly undermined, however, as a whoosh erupted alongside a fire on the injured woman and incited pain-filled wails. "It's fine. She does that," The head lady replied before ducking into the smoke-filled office and shutting the door.

TEotOS

Finch smiled at the woman beside him as he made his way down the hallways of the school, "... Our work here. My improvements aren't confined to the classroom. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. We've introduced a new policy. School dinners are absolutely free, but compulsory. Do try the chips," He explained the two of them keeping a steady pace.

"Oh, I'd love to, thank you," She replied, smiling up at the man. "And it's got to be said, the transformation you've brought about is amazing," Finch smiled at her words, "I mean, maybe you're working the children a little bit too hard now and then, but I think good results, they're more important than anything," She finished, facing forwards once again.

"Exactly. You're a woman of vision, Miss Smith," Finch complimented.

"Oh, I can see everything, Mister Finch. Quite clearly," Miss Smith said with a polite smile as Finch opened the door to the staff room.

TEotOS

Aneres smiled at Mr. Parsons, a history teacher at the school, "Yesterday, I had a twelve-year-old girl give me the exact height of the Walls of Troy in cubits," He said, causing the Time Lady's eyes to widen.

"And, it's ever since the new headmaster arrived?" The Doctor asked from his place behind her.

"Finch arrived three months ago," He explained with a nod, "Next day, half the staff got flu. Finch replaced them with that lot, except for the teachers you replaced, and that was just plain weird, her winning the lottery like that and him being invited to that university," Parsons mused, staring at them in mild suspicion.

"How's that weird?" Aneres asked, giggling at the Doctor mentally.

"She never played. Said the ticket was posted through her door at midnight, and the other teacher was discovered via the Internet apparently. Never interviewed with the university for the position." The teacher explained, frowning to himself as he stared down at his tea.

"Hmm. The world is very strange," The Doctor murmured before turning to the door as Finch entered the staff room.

"Excuse me, colleagues. A moment of your time," He purred, his eyes floating about the room of teachers, "May I introduce Miss Sarah Jane Smith," Aneres eyes widened as she ducked behind a teacher to avoid the woman's eyes.

"Miss Smith is a journalist who's writing a profile about me for the Sunday Times. I thought it might be useful for her to get a view from the trenches, so to speak. Don't spare my blushes," Finch finished, an unpleasant gleam in his eyes at the lack of Aneres' presence as he stalked out of the room. The Doctor continued gaping in delight at Sarah Jane while Aneres silently made her way across the room, hugging the wall until she reached the restroom and ducked inside.

"Hello," Sarah murmured, smiling up at the Doctor, whose mouth was still hanging open.

"Oh, I should think so," He finally responded, overwhelmed with nostalgic joy.

"And, you are?" She asked, confused at his response, "Hm? Er, Smith. John Smith," Sarah Jane slowly raised an eyebrow at that name.

"John Smith," She whispered, causing the Doctor to stiffen as he remembered she did not know this him, "I used to have a friend who sometimes went by that name," Sarah Jane smiled at him with her words, her eyes searching his face for a clue.

"Well, it's a very common name," He replied, anxiety brewing in his hearts.

"He was a very uncommon man," The Doctor relaxed slightly as Sarah Jane looked away from him and off into the distance.

"Nice to meet you," She suddenly said, sticking her hand out. "Nice to meet you. Yes, very nice. More than nice. Brilliant," The Doctor rambled, shaking her hand in excitement. Aneres poked out from the bathroom, watching the two interact with a wistful smile on her face.

"She looks no different," She whispered to herself as she made her way out of the staff room.

"Er, so, er, have you worked here long?" Sarah Jane asked, fumbling for a notepad and pen.

"No. Er, it's my wife and I's second day here," The Doctor explained, folding his hands in front of him.

"Oh, you're new, then," Sarah Jane realized, grinning, " So, what do you think of the school? I mean, this new curriculum? So many children getting ill. Doesn't that strike you as odd?" She asked, the Doctor's grin widening all the while.

"You don't sound like someone just doing a profile," He remarked, a glimmer of pride in his eyes as he stared at his former companion.

"Well, no harm in a little investigation while I'm here," She whispered conspiratorially, a secretive smile playing across her lips. "No. Good for you," He complimented as she moved on to another teacher. "Good for you. Oh, good for you, Sarah Jane Smith," The Doctor whispered to himself.

TEotOS

The Doctor, Aneres, Rose and Mickey made their way into the school that evening, easily gaining access with the sonic screwdriver. "Oh, it's weird seeing the school at night. It just feels wrong," Rose mused with a shiver, "When I was a kid, I used to think all the teachers slept in school," She commented, sharing a smile with Mickey.

"They did do that at our school," Aneres said with a thoughtful look, smiling at Mickey who merely looked back at Rose.

"All right, team. Oh, I hate people who say team," The Doctor said, drawing all of their attention to him, "Er, gang. Er, comrades," He tried, frowning with each title, "Anyway, Rose, go to the kitchen. Get a sample of that oil. Mickey, the new staff are all Maths teachers. Go and check out the Maths department," He ordered, watching their faces for understanding and grinning at their nods.

"We're going to look in Finch's office. Be back here in ten minutes," Aneres explained before they took off down the hallway, leaving a peeved woman and an excited man behind them.

"You going to be all right?" Rose asked, turning to Mickey.

"Me? Please. Infiltration and investigation? I'm an expert at this while you look like you're going to explode," He teased, crossing his arms over his chest as he marched off. "Where's the Maths department?" Mickey asked after turning back in confusion.

"Down there, turn left, through the fire doors, on the right," Rose said, giggling at him.

"Thank you," He said before taking off. Unbeknownst to them, another woman was running through the upper corridors, chasing after something as it flew away. As Rose went to collect her oil sample, a screech echoed, causing her to look up at the ceiling in confusion.

TEotOS

Sarah Jane opened the door to a storage area hesitantly and gaped at the sight of the Tardis parked there, exactly as it had been so many years ago. "Hello, Sarah Jane," The Doctor murmured from his place behind her, causing Sarah to quickly spin in place.

"It's you. Oh, Doctor Oh, my God, it's you, isn't it," She whispered, moving to stand before him, "You've regenerated," The Doctor smiled at her words.

"Yeah. Half a dozen times since we last met," He murmured, looking down at his body.

"You look incredible," Sarah murmured, raising a hand to touch his cheek softly.

"So do you," The Doctor mumbled, staring down at her with pride and sadness. "Huh. I got old," SHe murmured, pulling away slightly.

"What are you doing here?" She suddenly asked.

"Well, UFO sighting, school gets record results. I couldn't resist. What about you?" He explained, staring at Sarah.

"The same," She whispered, her eyes flooding with tears. "I thought you'd died. I waited for you and you didn't come back, and I thought you must have died," Sarah sobbed out, covering her face with her hands.

"We lived. Everyone else died," Aneres said, moving out from behind the Tardis to smile sadly at Sarah.

"Annie…" Sarah whispered in shock, staring at the exact same woman that had stood before her all that time ago. "What do you mean?" She asked, horror drifting into her voice, looking between her two longest friends.

"Everyone died, Sarah," Aneres whispered gently, moving to hugs her tightly.

Sarah wrapped her arms around the Time Lady, "Even…?" She trailed off at Aneres' and the Doctor's nod. "No…" Sarah Jane choked out, a fresh round of tears blooming in her eyes. Aneres pulled back to wipe their tears, the Doctor moving to stand with them.

"I can't believe it's you," Sarah murmured, only to be cut off by a scream from somewhere else in the school, "Okay, now I can!" She said, a smile making its way to her lips as they ran downstairs.

TEotOS

Rose smiled at the sight of the Doctor running towards her, but it quickly disappeared with the sight of the women with him.

"Did you hear that?" Rose asked, frowning, "Who's she?" Aneres grinned and wrapped her arm around Sarah.

"Rose, Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane, Rose," The Doctor explained, gesturing between the two women.

"Hi. Nice to meet you," Sarah greeted, holding her hand out to the blonde who shook it limply, "You can tell you're getting older. Your assistants are getting younger," She commented, smirking at the cackle that escaped Aneres at her words.

"I'm not his assistant!" Rose exclaimed in fury.

"No?" Sarah Jane asked, raising an eyebrow at the Time Lord and Lady beside her while running towards the scream again.

TEotOS

"Sorry! Sorry, it was only me," Mickey hurriedly apologized as the four others approached him, "You told me to investigate, so I started looking through some of these cupboards and all of these fell on me," He continued to explain, gesturing at the floor around him.

"Oh, my God, they're rats. Dozens of rats. Vacuum packed rats." Rose whispered while she picked up the creatures to inspect them. "And you decided to scream," The Doctor remarked, staring at Mickey in astonishment.

"It took me by surprise!" Mickey retorted, completely outraged and defensive.

"Like a little girl?" The Doctor demanded, thrusting a vacuum-packed rat at him.

"It was dark! I was covered in rats!" Mickey shouted, waving his arms frantically.

"Nine, maybe ten years old. I'm seeing pigtails, frilly skirt," The Doctor commented, smirking at him.

Aneres sighed and moved forward to Mickey's defense, "Okay, stop. Mickey isn't used to this, and you didn't use to be either, so stop picking on him mkay?" She demanded, her voice sickly sweet and her eyes narrowed. The Doctor sighed but nodded in agreement, backing away from the terrified man.

"Hello, can we focus? Does anyone notice anything strange about this? Rats in school?" Rose asked, her familiar jealous tendencies rising up again.

"Well, obviously they use them in Biology lessons. They dissect them," Sarah explained before a devious glint entered her eyes, "Or maybe you haven't reached that bit yet. How old are you?" She suddenly asked, smirking at Rose.

"Excuse me, no one dissects rats in school anymore. They haven't done that for years," Rose snapped back, even further annoyed that no one had risen to her defense, "Where are you from, the dark ages?" She asked, earning a snort from Aneres.

"If the '60s were the Dark Ages then the Doctor and I must've come from Ancient Mesopotamia," She commented off-hand, winking at Sarah Jane.

"Anyway, moving on!" The Doctor said loudly as Rose opened her mouth, "Everything started when Mister Finch arrived. We should go and check his office," He ordered while storming away from them, Rose leaping after him with Sarah Jane while Aneres brought up the rear with Mickey.

TEotOS

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but who exactly are you?" Rose asked as she sneered at the woman in question.

"Sarah Jane Smith. I used to travel with the Doctor and Aneres," She explained, grinning at the two Galliferyans.

"Oh. Well, they've never mentioned you," Rose said, watching the woman flinch in victory.

"Can't imagine why given your current behavior, Rose," Aneres snapped, tugging Sarah Jane ahead of everyone else and away from Rose's pissy attitude.

"Oh, I must've done. Sarah Jane. Mention her all the time," THe Doctor murmured to himself, frowning.

"Hold on. Sorry. Never," Rose drawled, looking at her nails.

"What, not even once? He didn't mention me even once?" Sarah asked Aneres, who sighed.

"Sarah, we both love you too much to have you insulted by someone as petty as her. Trust me, it wasn't because we forgot about you or don't think about you." She murmured, continuing to walk.

"Ho, ho, mate. The missus and the exes," Mickey chuckled out to the Doctor, "Welcome to every man's worst nightmare," He continued with a pat on the Time Lord's shoulder despite the fury in the latter's eyes at how Mickey had referred to his Tether.

TEotOS

Aneres watched as the Doctor used the sonic screwdriver on the lock to the Headmaster's office, "Maybe those rats were food," He whispered to himself while slowly opening the door.

"Food for what?" Rose asked, cutting Aneres and Sarah off from following him as she entered the office just after him.

"Rose, you know you used to think all the teachers slept in the school? Well, they do," The Doctor muttered while pointing up at the ceiling.

Mickey whispered, "No way!" before scrambling out of the room with Rose while the Doctor and Sarah moved slower, with Aneres bringing up the rear and shutting the door behind them. The scream that sounded just after the door clicked shut sent the rest of them into a sprint for the doors, terror running through their veins like ice water.

TEotOS

"I am not going back in there. No way," Mickey gasped out once he was safely in the parking lot.

"Those were teachers," Rose whispered, clutching at a stitch in her side from all of the running while she watched Aneres hover over Sarah Jane and the Doctor.

"When Finch arrived, he brought with him seven new teachers, four dinner ladies, and a nurse," The Time Lord counted up, taking deep breaths to steady himself.

"Thirteen. Thirteen big bat people," Aneres finished, staring at the school.

"Come on," The Doctor suddenly ordered, grabbing his Tether's hand and heading back towards the school.

"Come on? You've got to be kidding!" Mickey shouted, backing away from the group in fear, much to the Doctor's annoyance.

"I need the Tardis," He explained, "I've got to analyze that oil from the kitchen," Sarah Jane perked up at his words.

"I might be able to help you there," She said happily, grabbing his and Aneres' hands and taking them towards her car. "I've got something to show you," She whispered conspiratorially, popping open the trunk of her car and removing a blanket.

"K9!" Aneres squealed in delight, the metal dog glinting in the moonlight.

"Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, allow me to introduce K9. well, K9 Mark Three to be precise," The Doctor explained, nudging Aneres slightly to love on the dog a bit.

"Why does he look so disco?" Rose asked, disgust in her voice.

"Oi! Listen, in the year five thousand, this was cutting edge," The Doctor defended, glaring at Rose.

"What's happened to him?" Aneres asked, poking his on and off switch while frowning.

"Oh, one day, he just, nothing," Sarah explained, pouting at the loss of her beloved companion.

"Well, didn't you try and get him repaired?" The Doctor asked, distraught and gaping at Sarah Jane.

"Well, it's not like getting parts for a Mini Metro," Sarah Jane defended, smirking as the Doctor blushed.

"Besides, the technology inside him could rewrite human science, she couldn't show him to anyone," Aneres mused, rubbing the dog idly.

"Ooh, what's the nasty lady done to you, eh?" The Doctor cooed, pulling the dog into a tight hug while Sarah and Aneres giggled.

"Look, no offense, but could you two just stop petting for a minute? Never mind the tin dog. We're busy," Rose snapped, her arms crossed over her chest while she glared at Aneres.

"Touchy, touchy," The Time Lady mumbled while slowly closing the trunk and getting in the car with the others. Several hundred feet away, one of the bat creatures swooped across the sky with a screech, unbeknownst to the investigators.

TEotOS

Rose and Mickey took a place in the queue at a chip shop where the Doctor and Aneres had decided to stop to work on K9 with Sarah Jane. "You see, what's impressive is that it's been nearly an hour since we met her and I still haven't said I told you so," Mickey realized, nudging Rose in her side.

"I'm not listening to this," Rose muttered, sighing under her breath while she ordered some chips.

"Although, I have prepared a little 'I was right' dance that I can show you later," Mickey offered, grinning at Rose as he teased her. The woman however merely rolled her eyes and paid for her chips before walking over to a table and plopping down in a chair.

"All this time you've been giving it, he's different, when the truth is, he's just like any other bloke with lots of girlfriends," Mickey mused, delighted in the flaw he had found in the man who had swept Rose off her feet.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Rose said petulantly, not daring to think that the Doctor had ever been involved with anyone before her.

"Maybe not. But if I were you I'd go easy on the chips," Mickey whispered, wincing at Rose's hateful glare while also trying not to laugh at the chip hanging from between her lips.

TEotOS

Finch stared down at the coffee shop situated on the street opposite his place on the roof of a building, where Aneres and the Doctor worked on K9 with Sarah Jane. "Come to me. Come to me," He called out, smirking at one of the bat-like creatures flew down to perch next to him.

TEotOS

"I thought of you two on Christmas Day. This Christmas just gone? Great big spaceship overhead. I thought, oh yeah, bet they're up there," Sarah Jane whispered, smiling at the Doctor and Aneres, only to see that the latter looked slightly confused.

"I was right on top of it, yeah, but Annie was…" The Doctor trailed off and glanced at his Tether, his eyes filled with self-loathing.

"And Rose?" Sarah Jane asked, frowning at the two of them.

"She was there too," The Doctor confirmed, continuing to fiddle with K9's wires. Aneres sighed at the reminder of all the time she had missed with the Doctor that she could never get back, time that he had spent completely alone.

"Did I do something wrong, because you never came back for me. You just dumped me," Sarah Jane suddenly asked, her insecurities that their departure had caused rushing to the surface.

"I told you. We were called back home and in those days humans weren't allowed," The Doctor explained, staring at the obviously upset woman in front of him.

"I waited for you. I missed you," She whispered, staring at him and Aneres with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, you didn't need me. You were getting on with your life," The Doctor murmured dismissively, inciting an outraged scoff from Aneres.

"You were my life. You know what the most difficult thing was? Coping with what happens next, or with what doesn't happen next. You took me to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, you showed me supernovas, intergalactic battles, and then you just dropped me back on Earth. How could anything compare to that?" Sarah Jane rambled, her frustration and anger at the man before her growing in mountains.

"All those things you saw, do you want me to apologize for that?" The Doctor asked, confused.

"No, but we get a taste of that splendor and then we have to go back," Sarah whispered tearfully, looking down at the table.

Aneres leaned over and said softly, "I never wanted to leave Sarah Jane, but I had no choice. My family needed me to come home, I thought you understood that."

Sarah nodded in response, "It was still hard though, to lose all of that so suddenly," She whispered, wiping her eyes guiltily at the reminder of the pain they had sustained.

"Look at you, you're investigating. You found that school. You're doing what we always did," The Doctor said, turning to face her and smiling cheerfully to no avail.

"You could have come back," Sarah whispered, staring him down.

"I couldn't," The Doctor muttered, turning back to K9 and screwing in another bolt with more wire. "Why not?" She asked, staring at the two of them, only to see that Aneres had tears of her own and the Doctor's face had turned stony.

"It wasn't Croydon. Where you dropped me off, that wasn't Croydon," She suddenly said, smiling as the Doctor and Aneres turned to stare at her.

"Where was it?" He asked worriedly, his face slightly paler.

"Aberdeen," Sarah snapped playfully, watching as the Doctor winced and Aneres giggled at his navigational ineptitude.

"Right. That's next to Croydon, isn't it?" The Doctor asked, turning to stare at Aneres.

"It's about a ten-hour drive north of Croydon darling," The Time Lady said with a weary yet amused smile. The Doctor gaped at himself, only snapping out of it when K9 suddenly woke up with loud whirring and beeping noises.

"Oh, hey. Now we're in business," Aneres cheered, standing up with the Doctor and Sarah Jane while Rose and Mickey hurried over to them.

"Master, Mistress!" The canine called out, his voice high and robotic.

The two Time Lords cheered in delight, "He recognizes us."

Sarah Jane grinned at the two of them, patting K9 as he responded with, "Affirmative."

The Doctor turned to face the other two humans, beaming, "Rose, give us the oil," He ordered, holding his hand out to take the little glass bottle from the blonde.

"I wouldn't touch it, though. That dinner lady got all scorched," Rose said worriedly, staring up at the Doctor.

"I'm no dinner lady. And I don't often say that," The Doctor commented while smearing the substance onto K9's probe-like nose.

"There we go. Come on, boy. Here we go," Aneres whispered, rubbing her hands together.

"Oil. Ex ex ex extract. Ana ana analyzing," K9 stammered out, the sound music to Sarah Jane's ears.

"Listen to him, man. That's a voice," Mickey joked, bringing a smile to Rose's face, only to have Sarah Jane and Aneres round on him. "Careful. That's our dog," Sarah Jane warned, chuckling slightly at Aneres' raised eyebrow.

"Confirmation of analysis. Substance is Krillitane Oil." K9 declared, his voice trilling slightly.

"They're Krillitanes," Aneres whispered, her voice dripping in worry and horror.

"Is that bad?" Rose asked, staring at the Doctor who quickly replied.

"Very. Think of how bad things could possibly be, and add another suitcase full of bad," He explained, running his hands through his hair.

"And what are Krillitanes?" Sarah Jane asked, unable to recall an encounter with their species during her travels.

"They're a composite race. Just like your culture is a mixture of traditions from all sorts of countries, people you've invaded or have been invaded by. You've got bits of Viking, bits of France, bits of whatever," Aneres explained, gesturing wildly with her arms, "The Krillitanes are the same. An amalgam of the races they've conquered. But they take physical aspects as well. They cherry pick the best bits from the people they destroy," Aneres continued, wincing at the horrified looks everyone was sporting at her words.

"That's why I didn't recognize them. The last time I saw Krillitanes, they looked just like us except they had really long necks," The Doctor rambled frowning to himself.

"What're they doing here?" Rose asked, completely confused.

"It's the children. They're doing something to the children," Aneres whispered, wrapping her arms around herself as flashbacks ran across her mind of the War. The Doctor stiffened as he peered into her mind and quickly moved to hold her tightly, his eyes squeezed shut at the horrid memories.

**Dun dun DUN! I hope his chapter started to hint at the extent of the horrors that the Doctor and Aneres have undergone, and if you caught it then don't spoil it okay? Also, I don't know how Mickey and Aneres will get on, especially since she's so buddy-buddy with Sarah Jane already. Please leave comments, questions or critics in a review if you have them, I'd love to discuss things with you! ALSO, WE BROKE 1000 VIEWS ON THIS STORY! I'm so thankful for all of your support and I hope you are all doing well. Till next time,**

**-Angel**


	10. School Reunion: Cracking the Code

Aneres watched Mickey and Sarah Jane exit the chip shop with K9, heading over to the car parked beside the sidewalk. "So what's the deal with the tin dog?" Mickey asked, helping to place the beloved robot into the boot of the car.

"The Doctor likes travelling with an entourage. Sometimes they're humans, sometimes they're aliens, and sometimes they're tin dogs," Sarah Jane explained, closing the trunk and leaning against it before turning to face Mickey.

"What about you? Where do you fit in the picture?" She asked, frowning at the man ever so slightly.

"Me? I'm their Man in Havana. I'm the technical support. I'm-" Mickey's prideful words suddenly stopped at his realization, "Oh, my God. I'm the tin dog." He whispered, slumping slightly and ignoring the familiar pang of envy he had for the Doctor, and all the man's useful traits.

"On my command," Finch hissed out, his voice a dark rumble as his eyes traced the figure of John Smith, his wife Annie, and that one dinner lady, the blonde one. He held out his hand, the Krillitane next to him crouching in anticipation from their place on a roof across from the chip shop.

"How many of us have there been travelling with you?" Rose asked, rushing out of the chip shop after the Doctor, while Aneres remained with Sarah Jane instead.

"Does it matter?" The Time Lord replied, his voice taut and his eyes narrowed at Rose's words.

"Yeah, it does, if I'm just the latest in a long line," Rose snapped. At that, the Doctor stopped, confusion replacing the irritation in his voice.

"As opposed to what?" He asked, frowning at the woman before him in genuine confusion, the latter looking as if he had struck her clean across the jaw. Aneres winced, her Time Lady hearing picking up his words with blinding clarity.

"Oh dear," She murmured, her eyes trained on her Tether. Her clueless, adorable, dense Tether.

"I thought you and me were," Rose stopped herself at the flash of complete and utter disgust that flew across the Doctor's face.

"I obviously got it wrong. I've been to the year five billion, right, but this? Now, this is really seeing the future. You just leave us behind," She continued, her hurt quickly festering into self-righteous anger that overpowered any rational thought she may have had. "Is that what you're going to do to me?" Rose demanded, glaring at the wilted man before her in fury.

A sigh escaped him and her eyes widened in shock. "Oh my God, you are…" She whispered, her eyes stinging slightly.

"Rose," The Doctor cut her off, "I don't age, I regenerate, but humans die in a blink of my eyes." He started to explain, a pained look appearing in his chocolate orbs. "I have lost so many, and I hate watching it happen, so I just… Run. Keep on running as I always have, in hopes it won't catch up to me," A tear leaked from his eye, paving a salty trail down his stubbled cheek.

"You can spend the rest of your life with me," The Doctor finally whispered, wiping the tear away and clearing his throat, "but I can't spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on, with Aneres," He finished with a despondent sigh.

"You don't have to do that," Rose murmured, "Live with just her." The Doctor's eyes flicked to Aneres, much to Rose's displeasure.

"We could find a way to make me live forever, you'd never be alone again," She continued, smiling at her obsession.

"Rose, there is no way to do that. Even my race has a cap, we will die just as you do, just later in the future," He attempted to explain gently, "Time Lords aren't immortal, we just have many second chances." Rose's smile morphed back to a frown at the reminder of just how different they were.

_"No, not too different. We can still be together,"_ her thoughts snarled, shaking off the discouragement the universe seemed to love doling out lately. However, their words caught the attention of a far deadlier creature than the jealous human.

"Time Lord," Finch snarled, his eyes flicking to Aneres as he waved the Krillitane forward. The Time Lady looked up and yelped at the sight of the bat as she pulled Sarah Jane to the pavement with her.

"Was that a Krillitane?" Sarah demanded, her heart racing at a million miles an hour as her eyes traced the bat-like figure flying away from them.

"But it didn't even touch her. It just flew off. What did it do that for?" Rose whispered, running to stand behind the Doctor, who had eyes only for Aneres. The woman in question helped Sarah Jane up and coaxed Mickey out from behind the car while her body shook all the while with terror.

"We're all fine, don't worry," She called out, smiling as the Doctor approached and they departed in Sarah Jane's car.

TEotOS

Aneres pulled the car into a parking spot in the car park, students weaving between the aisles as they made their way into the school that next morning. The entourage made its way out and over to the main entrance, stopping just shy of the double doors. "Sarah, you go to the Maths room. Crack open those computers, I need to see the hardware inside," He ordered, fishing in his pockets.

"Here, you might need this," Aneres said with a mischievous smile, pulling the sonic from the back pocket of her jeans and passing it over to Sarah Jane.

"Still the same settings as the last one?" Sarah Jane asked, looking down at the sonic screwdriver with a hint of nostalgia.

"Yep, you're all set," The Doctor chirped, Aneres smiling and nodding at his words.

"Mickey, surveillance. I want you outside," The Doctor ordered, staring the man down, and rolling his eyes slightly at the frustration in Mickey's face upon hearing that statement.

"Just stand outside?" Mickey demanded, his voice ringing with outrage. Sarah Jane rolled her eyes at the complaint and sent a look to Aneres that both Mickey and Rose caught.

"Here, take these you can keep K9 company," Sarah Jane snarked, throwing her car keys at the man while she walked into the building so she could get on with her job.

"Don't forget to leave the window open a crack," The Doctor added on, earning glares from Mickey and Rose and a mild smack to the shoulder from Aneres.

"But he's metal!" The other man continued, his outrage turning to genuine anger at the Doctor and his lack of care for Mickey. "He didn't mean for him," Aneres piped up, chuckling at the daggers Mickey sent her with his eyes before stalking off to the car.

Another voice soon distracted the Time Lord and Lady, "What am I supposed to do?" Rose asked, her arms crossed across her chest and an eyebrow raised.

"Oh," The Doctor stammered out, his ears red with embarrassment as he addressed his forgotten companion.

"You can help Sarah Jane hack into the computers," Aneres finished, ignoring the Doctor's incredulous glance at her. Rose frowned at the order but complied when the Doctor nodded and waved her off.

"I hope you realize that those two can't stand each other," The Doctor murmured to Aneres. The raven scoffed and shook her head.

"Rose needs to understand that you have other people in your life besides her. Spending time with a companion as treasured as Sarah Jane might help her realize just how much everyone matters, not just her," Aneres explained, her eyes fixed on the Doctor's as his discomfort shone on his face like a blinding sun.

The man coughed, turned back to the doors and mumbled, "It's time we had a word with Mister Finch." Aneres chuckled and followed after him, excited to end the Krillitanes' plans for the children of this school.

TEotOS

Aneres pushed open the doors to the swimming pool, the smell of chlorine hitting her nose and forcing her eyes to water slightly. The Doctor frowned at the sight of Mr. Finch standing on the opposite side of the room. "Who are you?" The Doctor demanded as they walked further into the room, their hands interlocked between them. The principal smiled and walked towards them at a relaxed pace.

"My name is Brother Lassa. And you?" The man asked, his eyebrow raised inquisitively at the two aliens before him. "The Doctor, and the Vengeance," The Doctor replied, using Aneres' formal title instead of her preferred name. A smirk came to his lips when the Krillitane flinched at the sound of their names.

"Since when did Krillitanes have wings?" Aneres asked innocently, staring Finch down with chilling intensity.

Brother Lassa swallowed briefly before answering, "It's been our form for nearly ten generations now. Our ancestors invaded Bessan. The people there had some rather lovely wings," He explained before drifting off onto memory lane, "They made a million widows in one day. Just imagine."

A disgusted scowl came to Aneres' lips as she remembered the widows from the war. Crying on the bodies of their husbands, clutching their children's corpses to themselves, falling to their knees before the Daleks and letting themselves die because they had lost… everything. The Doctor tensed as her thoughts brushed against his, fury rising in him at how other races had been forced to endure that sheer soul-crushing misery and that the perpetrator was standing before them, calm as a cucumber.

"And now you're shaped human," The Doctor murmured, his eyes unwavering from Finch, who merely shrugged before continuing.

"A personal favorite, that's all," He explained, gesturing at his figure. Aneres frowned slightly, remembering that the other Krillitanes had maintained their true forms.

"And the others?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"My brothers remain bat form. What you see is a simple morphic illusion," Finch explained, his eyes locked Aneres and occasionally roaming to gaze at the entirety of her figure. The Doctor glared at the Krillitane and pulled Aneres back slightly, flinching when she stood her ground. "Scratch the surface and the true Krillitane lies beneath," Finch continued to explain before moving to his own questions.

"And what of the Time Lords?" He asked, frowning as both of the Gallifreyans before him flinched in response to the inquiry. "I always thought of you as such a pompous race. Ancient, dusty senators, so frightened of change and chaos," Finch mused to himself as rage started bubble even more in the minds and bodies of the Doctor and Aneres.

"And of course, they're all but extinct. Only you two. The last." With a deep breath, the Doctor buried his anger to address the more pressing issue.

"This plan of yours. What is it?" He asked the Krillitane, moving past Aneres' stock still figure to stand a mere inch away from Finch.

"You don't know," The alien replied slowly, his voice smug and eyes filled with delight at the Doctor's lack of knowledge.

"I know you're using children," Aneres spat out, drawing both of the males' attention to her.

"But, other than that," Finch whispered, "You don't know."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed further, "That's why I'm asking," he replied, his hands moving to slip into his pockets.

"Well, show me how clever you are. Work it out." Finch's reply was as nonchalant as possible, his arrogance bleeding off of him in rivulets that made Aneres start to see red in the corners of her vision.

"If I don't like it, then it will stop," The Doctor murmured coolly, his normally warm and kind eyes hard like dark steel.

"Fascinating. Your people were peaceful to the point of indolence. You seem to be something new. Would you declare war on us, Doctor?" Finch asked, his head tilted to the side. "I'm so old now. I used to have so much mercy. You get one warning. That was it," the Doctor muttered hatefully while he turned on his heel and guided Aneres from the room.

"But we're not even enemies," Finch called out as they left, smirking when Aneres turned her head to snarl at him, "Soon you will embrace us. The next time we meet, you will join with me. I promise you," He finished, gazing at the Time Lady with a predatory intensity as she departed.

"If you do not strangle that man with his own wings I will," Aneres growled out, cracking her knuckles as they walked towards the math wing.

The Doctor shook his head in disappointment, "Annie you can't do that, we need to show some level of control when dealing with them." His reprimand hung in her ears and caused her legs to speed up their pace until she was sprinting away.

_"Annie, get back here!" _The Doctor shouted in her mind, worry for her safety clouding his annoyance at her previous words. She had no regard for him though as she continued her trek across the school, fury at him, the Krillitanes, and the memories she couldn't seem to shake off pressing her onwards.

TEotOS

Meanwhile, as Aneres was making her way back to them, Sarah Jane was getting audibly frustrated with the sonic screwdriver. "It's not working," She snapped, fiddling with the temperamental device in her hands. Rose grinned at the woman's perceived ineptitude and made her way over to the older woman, her hand held out for the screwdriver.

"Give it to me," She ordered haughtily, causing Sarah Jane to bite back some colorful words lest the Doctor return to see her verbally abusing the child before her.

"Used to work first time in my day," Sarah Jane mused as she passed the screwdriver over and stepped back to lean against a nearby table.

"Well, things were a lot simpler back then," Rose mocked while crawling under the tables to sonic the various parts of the computers. Sarah Jane sighed at the bitterness and hatred in Rose's voice, a sign of her ignorance and immaturity.

"Rose, can I give you a bit of advice?" She asked, hoping she could dispel some of the fantasy that companions inevitably dealt with at some point when with the Doctor. Rose scoffed at her words, any possible wisdom the pretentious cow could offer was unwanted in every respect.

"I've got a feeling you're about to," She snapped out, wiggling her way out from underneath the table to glare at Sarah Jane.

"I know how intense a relationship with the Doctor can be," Sarah began, exhaling harshly as she tried to say this kindly, "and I don't want you to have expectations that set you up for disappointment later on." Her words did not have their intended effect, serving only to spur the blonde into a fury.

"I don't feel threatened by you, if that's what you mean," Rose retorted sharply, moving to stand a mere inch from Sarah Jane.

"Right. Good," Sarah Jane breathed out, "But it isn't me you might be threatened by," She continued slowly, watching a myriad of emotions sprint across Rose's pug-like face.

"And who exactly should I be threatened by?" The blonde demanded, her eyes wide with frustration as she regarded the former companion. "You don't threaten me, who else could? Definitely not Aneres, she's got nothing on me," Sarah Jane's eyes widened at those words, everything starting to fall into place. Rose didn't know about Aneres and the Doctor, and if she did she was absolutely delusional to be saying things like that. However, her words didn't end there.

"The thing is, when you met him they'd only just got rid of rationing, and Aneres is all screwed up anyway. No wonder all that space stuff was a bit too much for you, it'll be too much for her too most likely," Rose said as she turned her back on the older woman and walked around, her voice taking on a dreamy quality.

"I had no problem with space stuff. I saw things you wouldn't believe, as has Aneres" Sarah Jane snapped, her attempt at kindness long forgotten as she continued to be insulted by the utterly idiotic bimbo before her.

"Try me," Rose challenged, smirking at her words' effect on Sarah Jane.

"Mummies," Sarah Jane started. "I've met ghosts," Rose countered, crossing her arms over her chest. "Robots. Lots of robots," Sarah Jane tried, only to be cut off by,

"Slitheen, in Downing Street," from Rose.

"Daleks!" Sarah Jane called out, her voice steadily rising in volume. "Met the Emperor," Sarah Jane winced at Rose's reply but refused to back down.

"Anti-matter monsters," She continued, glaring at the blonde who merely replied with, "Gas masked zombies." The two women continued their argument, not noticing the raven-haired woman standing in the door, watching them with some degree of amusement.

"I believe," Aneres called out, drawing both of the women's attention to her, "that you also saw dinosaurs, the Loch Ness monster, Cybermen, Macra, Sontarans, and many others. Not only did you see aliens, but you also met FDR, several Time Lords, and many a monarch throughout history." Sarah Jane blushed and smiled at her friend defending her, which only served to further enrage Rose.

"If you do not want to be shown up, do not start petty arguments," The Time Lady continued, her eyes locked on Rose, who decided to make her voice heard.

"That's not fair, the Time Lords are gone, and I haven't gone through time as often!" She cried out, stamping her foot like a toddler.

"Well, if she's gone through time and space more often, are you really in a position to say she couldn't handle it like you have?" Aneres questioned, grinning as both Rose and Sarah Jane's mouths dropped open. Once Rose managed to regain control of her mouth, Aneres continued.

"I have quite patient with you Rose, but insulting my friend and hindering our mission to help people are two transgressions I will not stand for anymore," Her voice was a steel knife that cut through the air with stunning clarity, halting Rose's petulant retorts.

"You get a pass this time, but do it again and I will be informing the Doctor and I don't think you want that. Now, give me the screwdriver, I need to see what's going on here." Aneres finished her rant with her hand outstretched towards the sonic device in Rose's grip. The blonde passed it to her silently, tears stinging her eyes as she stepped back to stand next to the wall and watch the Time Lady.

Sarah Jane crouched next to Aneres, her voice lowered to a nearly inaudible whisper. "Does she know? About you and the Doctor, I mean?" She asked, watching the Time Lady fiddle with the computers.

"She does not," Aneres replied, "And don't think that you are completely right either in that argument. I know you, Sarah Jane, you don't freak out over what a child says to you." The human blushed in shame, her eyes focused on the ugly carpet beneath her.

"She insulted you, your bond with the Doctor, I just lost it. I'm sorry." Aneres smiled at Sarah Jane's apology and turned to say something more, but was cut off by the Doctor entering the room.

"Did you guys find anything?" He asked, making his way over to Aneres and Sarah Jane.

"Unfortunately, these are proving difficult to shift," Aneres responded, changing the setting on the sonic to a higher frequency.

"Is it a deadlock?" The Doctor asked, crouching next to her to inspect the devices himself.

"I don't believe so, but if it doesn't open up in a bit we will have to assume so," Aneres replied, wiggling closer to the device.

_"Annie, I'm sorry for what I said. I know that what he's doing is wrong and that it must be hitting you hard after everything you've seen,"_ The Doctor's thought hummed in Aneres' mind, the latter waiting for the inevitable, "_but I don't want to just go straight to violence. I swore I never would after the War unless necessary," _the Doctor finished, bringing a sigh from his Tether.

_"I'm sorry too. It's just been hard to adjust back to your moral compass. I haven't had much time since everything that happened to adjust to giving mercy or kindness after so much violence from both myself and others._" Aneres' explanation, while it was sensible, made the Doctor sigh to himself in frustration and slight sadness. They were all pulled from their thoughts a moment later though, as students entered early from break and started making their way over to their classroom.

Rose ran to the door, her stride frantic as well as her arm gestures as she turned students away from the door. "No, no. This classroom's out of bounds. You've all got to go to the South Hall. Off you go. South Hall!" She shouted, turning some of the students manually and pushing them down the hallway. "Thank you Rose," Aneres shouted from under the table, "Needed a tad more time!"

Rose blinked at her words, stunned momentarily considering the tiff with Sarah Jane not even five minutes ago. "Ye-yeah, um, no problem," The blonde stammered out as the two Time Lords continued to work.

Two or three more minutes passed before a screech of frustration echoed through the computer lab, "I can't shift it!" Aneres shouted, chucking the sonic at the Doctor as she ran her fingers through her hair and wiggled back out from under the table.

"I thought the sonic screwdriver could open anything!" Sarah Jane shouted as the Doctor pulled it out and wrapped some of the wires around his neck to reach it easier.

"Anything except a deadlock seal," The Doctor explained, "There's got to be something inside here. What're they teaching those kids?" He muttered to himself, looking up as the sound of doors slamming shut echoed through the hallways.

"He's closed the school down," Aneres whispered, fear for the kids thrumming in her veins. "Gotta hurry then," The Doctor whispered, fiddling with the computer frantically.

**I AM SUPER SORRY GUYS! I know this update took forever, but I had finals, family trouble, and some friends/romantic drama to deal with. Thank you so much for being understanding and amazing readers though, and I hope that now I'm less busy I can update more often. Unfortunately, I did end up splitting this episode into three parts after all, but I should have the final part of this episode out in a week or so. Once again, thank you guys, so very very much. This story wouldn't be a story if you guys weren't here, and hopefully, it will continue well into the future. Have an amazing day, follow the Instagram if you want ( christmasangel1225), leave a review if you have any questions or critiques, and I hope that you are all doing well!**


	11. School Reunion: Another Goodbye

The Doctor and Aneres worked as fast as they could while a single stray student sprinted down the halls to the entryway. This was Kenny, a young boy that had managed to escape from the classrooms, and he was trapped behind the front entrance. He frantically pounded against the doors with both hands, his face pale and eyes wide, and eventually he caught the attention of a young man sitting in a car. Mickey Smith quickly exited the car and rushed to the entrance, tugging on the handles of the doors.

"They've taken them all!" Kenny shouted through the glass, but his voice was horribly muffled.

"What?" Mickey demanded, pressing his ear to the glass so as to understand the small boy.

"They've taken all the children!" Kenny shouted, straining his throat to be heard, only to be filled with terror as Mickey sprinted back to the car. Away from him, away from everyone that needed help.

Mickey threw the car door open and tugged K9 closer to him, his fingers stabbing at every button his eyes could find.

"Come on, I need some help," He spat out angrily, his hand lunging out to smack K9 upside his small head.

Thankfully, that seemed to do the trick as K9 chimed in with, "System restarting. All primary drives functioning."

Mickey sighed out a breath of delight, "You're working!" The delight passed as he remembered exactly how dire the situation truly was, and so he continued. "Okay, no time to explain. we need to get inside the school. Do you have like, I don't know, a lock picking device?" Mickey asked, his eyes locked on the robot, who quickly responded with, "We are in a car."

The man frowned at the response, and quickly asked, "Maybe a drill attachment?"

K9 merely repeated his previous response of, "We are in a car." Mickey growled in frustration and slammed his hand on the dashboard.

"Fat lot of good you are," He replied until a sudden realization hit him, and K9's response of, "We are in a car" made absolute sense. Mickey exited the car and gestured for Kenny to move away from the door before turning the car back on and preparing to bust through those doors.

TEotOS

Aneres looked up from the CPU as all of the screens turned on simultaneously to display a fast-paced program written in another language. "Doctor, the program, it's running," She pointed out, walking up to the front of the room to stare at the huge projection on the whiteboard. Her Tether looked up, confusion filling his features as he regarded the screen intently.

Eventually, their eyes widened in complete comprehension, and they both breathed out, "No, he can't be…" Sarah Jane's gaze flicked between the two of them at that statement, her lips pursed in an anxious frown. Rose took tentative steps towards the Doctor, her hand reaching out to rest on his shoulder until he moved to stand just behind Aneres.

"He can't be…" The Time Lady muttered under her breath, hugging herself as she shuffled closer to the board.

"What is it Annie?" Sarah Jane demanded as she rushed over to stand next to Aneres, who couldn't get a word past her trembling lips.

"The Skasis Paradigm. They're trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm," The Doctor said, breaking the tense silence that had overcome the room.

"The Skasis what?" Sarah Jane whispered, perplexed by the Time Lord's words.

"The God maker. The universal theory," Aneres breathed out as she straightened her spine, her voice turning colder and colder with each word, "Crack that equation and you've got control of the building blocks of the universe. Time and space and matter, yours to control." By the end of her explanation, her hands where white as they clenched into fists, her jaw was set, and her body was shaking in a nearly explosive rage.

"What, and the kids are like a giant computer?" Rose asked, frowning at the Doctor and the program running on the screen.

"Yes. And their learning power is being accelerated by the oil," The Doctor replied, his voice cracking with repressed anger, "That oil from the kitchens, it works as a, as a conducting agent. Makes the kids cleverer." Aneres eyes narrowed as she kept connecting the pieces, her knuckles cracked sharply under the pressure of her clenching fists.

"But that oil's on the chips. I've been eating them," Rose whispered, causing Aneres to turn and face her.

"What's fifty-nine times thirty-five?" She spat, her fury knowing no bounds and no difference between her friends, foes, and whatever in-between Rose was.

"Two thousand and sixty-five," Rose replied quickly, shock overcoming her features, "Oh, my God."

Aneres nodded at her response until Sarah Jane distracted her with more questions. "But why use children? Can't they use adults?" Aneres shook her head at Sarah Jane but struggled to respond until the Doctor stepped in.

"No, it's got to be children. The God maker needs imagination to crack it." His Tether took a deep breath and continued to explain that, "They're not just using the children's brains to break the code, they're using their souls." However, her voice diminished and her whole body took a shift to the aggressive as her eyes focused on a point just past the Doctor's head.

"Let the lesson begin," Finch called out, standing in the doorway leisurely, "Think of it, Annie," Aneres cringed as he crooned her name and smiled at her sweetly,

"With the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the universe and improve it." The Doctor's eyes morphed to coal black orbs as he moved to protect his Tether, only to halt in his tracks.

_"And what about Sarah Jane? Rose? You're going to leave them defenseless?" _His mind whispered traitorously, his body backtracking to block Sarah Jane and Rose from harm. Aneres sent him a small glance and brought a wince to his face with how much that little motion hurt, and how scared she was now. However, she steeled herself once again and took a single step over to the Krillitane.

"Oh yeah? The whole of creation with the face of Mister Finch? Call me old fashioned, but I like things as they are." She argued, her hands moving to fold behind her back idly.

"You act like such a radical, and yet all you want to do is preserve the old order?" Finch bemoaned, slumping slightly as he stared at Aneres with mild disappointment.

Aneres replied with a chuckle and brushed her hair away from her face while her other hand remained behind her back.

"I'm far more radical than you'd believe," Finch coughed in disbelief but allowed her to continue, "I fought in the War and I'm not afraid to use those skills again. Does that sound like preserving a sterile, uninvolved order or does that sound like fighting my hardest for what I believe in?" Before she could continue her hate-filled words, Finch decided to up his game.

"The Paradigm gives us power, but even with your radical tendencies you could give us wisdom," The Doctor frowned at Finch's words but was unable to move from his place beside Rose, "Become a Goddess at my side. Imagine what you could do. Think of the civilizations you could save. Perganon, Assinta. Your own people, Annie, standing tall," The Time Lady's eyes widened as scenarios ran across her mind.

"The Time Lords reborn." Finch finished his speech with a devious smirk as he watched the cogs turn in Aneres' head. The Doctor found himself pulled into her thoughts, familiar smiles, laughs and people coming back to them. People they would never have to lose, a planet that would never die, and a Tether that would never have been tortured.

"Doctor, don't listen to him," Sarah Jane ordered as she watched her friend dream to himself, knowing exactly who he was dreaming of, their names, their faces, everything.

"And you could be with him throughout eternity," Finch continued, his eyes drifting to Sarah Jane before they locked onto Rose, "Young, fresh, never wither, never age, never die." There was no denying the glimmer of greed and hope that shone in Rose's eyes at his offer, a glimmer that unnerved the Doctor to an alarming degree.

"Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes. How lonely you two must be," Finch's words reverberated in their skulls, twisting and turning in their minds like poisonous snakes, "Join us." Aneres' lungs filled with a breath that rattled in her throat, constricted by grief and a small hint of hope.

"I could save everyone," She and the Doctor whispered to themselves. "Yes," Finch replied.

"I could stop the war." The Doctor's statement, and the sheer desire in it caused Rose to tense up in terror. With the Time Lords back, she would be forgotten. With the Time Lords back, he wouldn't want her anymore. However, his words had the opposite effect on Sarah Jane, chilling her down the marrow of her bones, and forcing her to speak out.

"No," Rose's posture dropped in relief as Sarah Jane began to talk them out of it, "The universe has to move forward. Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love. Whether it's a world, or a relationship, everything has its time. And everything ends." Rose's relief had quickly died by the end of her words as Sarah Jane stared at her knowingly.

However, the former companion was distracted as Aneres let out a muffled sob and started to frantically mumble in Gallifreyan. Sarah Jane rushed over, but was stopped by the Doctor throwing a chair into the monitor, his body taut with rage. "Out!" He screamed at Finch, his eyes burning with a rage that pushed the Krillitane from the room faster than any push or attack could have. Once the enemy had exited he ran over to his Tether and clutched her tightly, soothing her as quickly as he could.

TEotOS

Meanwhile, Kenny had retreated from the doors as Mickey crashed right through them with the several ton object known as Sarah Jane's car. "Come on!" His voice echoed through the halls as he grabbed ahold of Kenny and darted down the halls, hoping to avoid Finch.

However, the Krillitane was not far from them, and neither were his brothers who had thrown their disguises away in favor of their true form and were flying toward him.

TEotOS

Aneres, still shaking from sobs, pulled away from the Doctor at this point. Her eyes were cold and glazed over as she left the room at a rapid pace down the halls. Soon the footfalls of the other three followed her, one of them chilled to the bone at the fury that was ricocheting through Aneres' mind and into his own. However, he could not dwell on it as Mickey and Kenny came into view, faces pale with terror.

"What is going on?" Mickey shouted, his gaze locked on the two Time Lords while Kenny merely trembled beside him.

"We're under attack, Mr. Smith." Aneres spat out, her hands clenching and unclenching, "And we're going to need your assistance." Mickey's eyes widened at that, never having been told he was needed before, and promptly steeled his nerves as Aneres moved on in her hunt for Krillitane blood.

Thankfully for them, the Krillitanes were easy find once the group made their way into the canteen. At the sight of the horrid bat-like creature, Kenny balked and hid behind the Doctor.

"Are they my teachers?" He whimpered, his eyes watery and cheeks flushed.

"Yeah. Sorry," The Doctor stammered out as he watched Aneres take an offensive position with a nearby chair as her weapon of choice.

"We need Aneres alive. As for the others? You can feast." Finch turned away after giving his order and moved aside to watch his brothers do what they did best, kill.

The first Krillitane went straight for Aneres, misjudging the sheer force with which the Time Lady was swinging the chair. His jaw shattered, his body slid across the floor while the rest of his brothers decided to pick off the more defenseless humans behind the raging Aneres. But, before a claw could even nick the Doctor's face, a red laser beam zipped through the air and hit another Krillitane in the middle of his chest.

"K9!" Sarah Jane cheered, a face splitting grin covering her face. Aneres turned slightly, her eyes wide as another Krillitane swooped down at Sarah Jane. Her legs turned, her arms reached out as she sprinted to Sarah Jane and knocked her to the floor, earning a rather sizable gash from the Krillitane for her efforts.

"Bloody hell." Aneres groaned as a dull ache erupted from her ribs, "Maybe keep an eye on the enemy next time?" Sarah Jane nodded frantically, scrambling to get off the floor and attempting to bring Aneres with her.

"ANNIE!" The Doctor roared in rage, the growing bloodstain on her shirt causing him to see red. He rounded on Finch, his eyes flashing as he moved to rip the man apart with his bare hands.

_"Really…? In front of Rose…?" _The Doctor froze at that thought. Rose still could not begin to comprehend the rage that bubbled within him, that hovered at the edge of a precipice. He could not dwell on that for long though, as chaos still rattled through the room around him.

"Suggest you engage running mode, mistress," K9 encouraged while continuing to shoot at the remaining Krillitanes. Aneres looked at the Doctor, who merely turned on his heel and led them from the room, his fury still radiating from him.

"Come on Rose!" The blonde squeaked at his scream and turned tail to follow the rest of them, smirking to herself all the while about the gushing wound a certain Time Lady was sporting.

"K9, hold them back!" Aneres screamed, her energy draining slowly as they struggled to evade the Krillitanes.

"Affirmative, mistress. Maximum defense mode," He replied while adjusting the strength of his lasers and firing several of them.

But, the adjustment was not to last as his power supply quickly drained from his aged body. "Power supply failing," He groaned out as his head slumped and his laser failed to continue its mission.

"Forget the shooty dog thing," Finch snarled, glaring at the bodies of his failed brothers before his eyes locked on the bloodstain on the floor. He moved towards it and kneeled to wipe it up with his fingers. "She can't run for long," He grinned to himself before standing and running from the room with the rest of them following.

TEotOS

Aneres sighed in relief as Sarah Jane deposited her onto a stool in a nearby physics lab to inspect her wound. "It's the oil," Aneres breathed out, the Doctor nodding in agreement. "Krillitane life forms can't handle the oil. That's it! They've changed their physiology so often, even their own oil is toxic to them." His rambling was cut short as he turned to face Rose, the only one that had seen the oil in action.

"How much was there in the kitchens?" The Doctor demanded, grabbing Rose's shoulders tightly.

"Barrels of it," She murmured, her eyes wide as she stared up at him. The Doctor didn't even notice though, a deep rage towards his enemies replacing any other comprehensible emotions.

"Okay, we need to get to the kitchens," Aneres deduced as she struggled to stand, even with Sarah Jane's assistance.

"Mickey," The Doctor called out, turning to the young man.

"What now, hold the coats?" The Doctor held back an enraged growl at the human's belligerence, and was grateful when his Tether piped up with instructions.

"Get over here and help Sarah get me to the kitchens. I'm the one they want, they'll follow my scent," Aneres explained, beckoning him over. The Doctor nodded in approval before turning to Rose.

"Get all the children unplugged and out of the school," He ordered, ignoring her indignant scoff. "Now then, bats, bats, bats. How do we fight bats?" He muttered to himself, garnering an eye roll from Kenny, who promptly set off the fire alarm. Aneres grinned at the boy, giving him a high five as Mickey and Sarah Jane carried her off, the Doctor and Kenny following while Rose ran to the classrooms.

TEotOS

The Doctor grinned at the sight of K9 sitting in the center of the canteen appearing relatively unharmed and recharged from the sudden flow of sonic energy from the ring of the fire alarm. "C'mon K9, let's go, good boy," Sarah Jane called, the Doctor watching as the faithful robot followed them out of the canteen and into the kitchens.

Meanwhile, Rose was frantically running from classroom to classroom, her only motivator being the reward she would get from the Doctor. "Okay, listen everyone. We've gotta get out of here," She screeched, waving her hands in front of their faces. Not a single finger stopped typing, nota single gaze turned towards her. Frustration bloomed in her chest, licking every corner of her mind with its poisonous tendrils as she rushed around the room. Finally, as the last classroom did not respond to her efforts, Rose threw her hands in the air.

"Fine! Just keep typing!" The children didn't look up, no emotions shone on their faces. "God, you really don't have souls anyway, so why do I bother?" Rose growled to herself, leaving the room. But, just before she made it out, she tripped over an unfortunately placed extension cord. With a dull thud her body collided with the floor while the students lept from their places at the computers.

"Ow…" She moaned out, slowly picking herself up while the students rushed from the classrooms, paying her no mind.

TEotOS

The sound of the sonic screwdriver whirred through the air, with the Doctor's grip on it so tense his knuckles were white. "They've been deadlock sealed." He turned to Aneres, worry, anger and frustration warring on his face.

"Finch must've done that. I can't open them," K9 interrupted at that point, looking up at them. "The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser, but my batteries are failing," He explained, watching the Time Lords come to a similar conclusion.

"Right. Everyone out the back door. K9, stay with me," The Doctor ordered, ignoring Aneres' protests as Sarah Jane and Mickey started hauling her out of the room.

The Doctor then moved to guide K9 towards the vats, only to pause at the robot's words. "Capacity for only one shot, Master. For maximum impact, I must be stationed directly beside the vat." Ice water ran through the Doctor's veins. Sarah Jane would be devastated; she had lost so much over the years.

_"Theta, K9 can be rebuilt. Sarah Jane, Rose and Mickey cannot be." _Aneres' words echoed through his mind and brought him back to Earth as he regarded the robot sadly. "Goodbye, old friend." He whispered, bending over to give one last scratch to K9's metal ears.

"Goodbye, Master." Tears blossomed in the Doctor's eyes, but before they could fall he hugged his dog tightly.

"You good dog," He whispered before standing up and leaving. "Affirmative."

K9's call resounded through the now empty room while the Doctor sealed the only exit shut on the other side.

"Where's K9?" Sarah Jane whimpered, her eyes wide and pleading as she regarded the Time Lord.

"We need to run." Aneres' response did not go over well and coaxed a round of tears from Sarah Jane.

"Where is he? What have you done!" She demanded, struggling against the Doctor as he pulled her away, leaving Mickey to support Aneres' blood-covered form.

"Remind me… to wash your clothes…" Aneres muttered, her breathing labored as they moved away from the scene. Mickey chuckled, her attempt at humor helping to lighten the atmosphere. That is until he saw Rose exit the building with all of the kids.

"Rose!" He shouted, gently depositing Aneres down on the ground before running towards the blonde woman. But, his steps abruptly halted when Rose ran right past him to the Doctor, and the building simultaneously went up in flames. Mickey fell over, the sudden heat overwhelming him to the point of terror. Aneres turned over to shield her wound from shrapnel. The Doctor's scream went unheard as he lunged towards Aneres but ended up with his arms full of Rose. Paper flew through the skie, landing around the prone form of Sarah Jane as she wept silent tears for her dog.

On the opposite side of the car park were school children, all but one of which were delightfully unaware of everything that had transpired.

"Yes!" Kenny's cheer was heard by many, including a young girl by the name of Melissa.

"Did you have something to do with it?" Her excited demand brought a blush to the boy's cheeks.

"Yeah, I did." He muttered, his cheeks turning an even deeper red as Melissa and the other children began to cheer for the young boy and his accomplishment. Kenny soon found himself lifted up by his peers and able to see every single one of their smiling faces, as well as the five adults across the way that looked as if they were attending a funeral.

TEotOS

The Doctor sat beside the medical table in the Tardis, his eyes carefully examining the large slashes across Aneres ribs. "I wanted to rip him apart," He gritted out while grabbing the first aid kit. A gentle laugh escaped her parted lips.

"But, you didn't," His Tether noted softly, "You remained calm." The Doctor looked into her emerald green eyes, the eyes he had stared into when they married, the eyes he had adored since he was born.

"I should have. Ripped him apart I mean," He readied a needle with some thread, "If I were a half-decent Tether I would have finished him off myself." Aneres sighed, wincing as he began sewing stitches for her wound.

"Theta," He looked back up at her at the sound of his name, "You have never been a violent person by choice, even when our bond urged you on that path. I would never expect that to change so quickly," She reached down to cup his cheek in her palm.

"But I would also never be ashamed of you for protecting me." The Doctor colored at her words, knowing he hadn't been very accepting of her methods of protecting him.

"I'm sorry," He whispered while quickly closing her wounds, "I had forgotten, in a way, how fierce you could be."

Aneres giggled and murmured, "I imagine several decades of traveling without me would have clouded your memories." They shared a laugh at that, but it was quiet and full of grief for the time they had lost. But their reminiscing was cut short by an untimely knock at the Tardis doors. The Doctor stood, appraising his work before pressing a gentle kiss to his lover's lips.

"Come whenever you're ready, but do try not to rip those open again," He whispered against her lips, enjoying the warmth of her breath upon his own before leaving to answer the door.

"You've redecorated," Sarah Jane whispered, her voice thick with tears as she surveyed the once familiar room that had been her home for years. "Do you like it?" Srah Jane giggled slightly at the worried inquiry, turning in place to get a better view.

"Oh, I, I do. Yeah. I preferred it as it was, but er, yeah. It'll do," The Doctor beamed at her half compliment, as did the Tardis in its usual humming fashion.

"I love it," Rose called out from her place beside the rotor. The Doctor turned to her, his grin widening at her words and at her happy attitude towards him.

"Hey, you," Sarah Jane interrupted, hoping to distract Rose as Aneres came into view, "what's forty-seven times three hundred and sixty-nine?" Rose shrugged. "No idea. It's gone now. The oil's faded."

Sarah Jane smiled at her response but frowned when Rose noticed Aneres and her expression immediately soured. "But you're still clever," She pointed out to the blonde, "More than a match for him." Rose's lips curved into a disastrously fake smile at her words, obviously still affected by the presence of the Time Lady.

"You and me both," She replied before noticing the ever-growing grin on the Doctor's face, "Doctor?"

The Time Lord jolted slightly, as if he had been in deep thought. "Er, we're about to head off," The Doctor stuttered, "but you could come with us." Sarah Jane looked at her old friends, the familiar yet new eyes they both possessed, and realized how different their paths were now.

"No. I can't do this anymore. Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure ahead. Time I stopped waiting for you and found a life of my own," Sarah Jane rambled, hiding her face in her hands as she struggled to maintain her composure. Aneres' eyes dimmed, truly hoping that she would have a chance to reconnect with one of her best friends.

But another voice piped up, distracting humans and Time Lords alike. "Can I come?" Mickey asked, his eyes flicking between the two Gallifreyans, "No, not with you," He clarified at Sarah Jane's confused look, turning his attention to the Doctor alone, "I mean with you. Because I'm not the tin dog, and I want to see what's out there."

The Doctor grimaced, Rose's lips curled in a sneer, Sarah Jane smiled softly, and Aneres grinned excitedly. "Oh, go on, Doctor. Sarah Jane Smith, Mickey Smith. You need a Smith on board," The Doctor rolled his eyes at his former companion's words.

"Okay then, I could do with a laugh," He finally decided, beaming at Mickey who was doing a little dance to himself.

"Rose, is that okay?" Mickey asked suddenly, not wanting to upset his friend.

But before the blonde could reply, the raven behind her crowed, "Of course it's fine Mickey! We'd be delighted to have you aboard!"

Rose snarled at the words but schooled herself enough to spit out, "No, great. Why not?" Mickey grinned, ignoring the pain of hurt Rose's obvious lie shot into his chest. With that decision, silence reigned the room which was only to be broken by Sarah Jane.

"Well, I'd better go," She whispered, exiting the Tardis swiftly and followed only by Aneres and the Doctor. "It was… so wonderful to see you both," Sarah Jane choked out, kissing Aneres' cheek and hugging the Doctor tightly.

"Don't ever forget that my door is always open to you. Both of you," She added, sending a pointed stare at Aneres as she remembered the poisonous tension between her and Rose.

The two Gallifryans smiled at her and murmured, "Goodbye," They paused to wipe away their own tears, "Our Sarah Jane." Their former companion sobbed softly as they wound their arms around her for one last hug. A mere moment after they had pulled away and departed in the Tardis, the fading figure revealing a special surprise.

"K9!" Sarah Jane squealed delightedly, running forward to hug her beloved robot dog. "Mistress!" K9's reply was short but filled with all of the sweetness he had ever mustered, which was quite an exponential amount.

"But you were blown up," She murmured worriedly, inspecting K9 for any faults or injuries.

"The Master rebuilt me. My systems are much improved with new undetectable hyperlink facilities!" K9 bragged, spinning in circles before his lovely human. "Oh, he replaced you with a brand new model," Sarah Jane sighed, sympathizing with that and simultaneously adoring that the Doctor had done this for her.

"Affirmative!" K9 replied, moving closer to his Mistress to look up at her. "Yeah, he does that," Sarah Jane remarked, staring up at the sky before turning on her heel. "Come on, you. Home. We've got work to do."

K9 obediently followed his mistress towards home, where they would go on many of their own adventures, with the Doctor and Aneres watching them from somewhere else in the universe.

**FINALLY! I am SO SO SO SO SO SORRY that this took so long to publish. My family was having some issues and I traveled a lot over these past few months. Hopefully I can try to get back on track, but with applications coming up I will be quite busy. Thank you for being so understanding, I love all of you and hope you are all doing well!**


	12. The Girl in the Fireplace: Holes in Time

Screams echoed down the halls of Versailles as King Louis the Fifteenth sprinted towards the rooms of his most beloved mistress, Madame de Pompadour. "We are under attack! There are creatures!" His shout went seemingly unheard by his lover, who merely stared at the clock situated on her mantle, "I don't even think they're human. We can't stop them." At that, the woman turned and fixed her blue eyes on him.

"The clock is broken. They're coming," she murmured, crossing the room to stare into his eyes in hopes of reassuring him.

"Did you hear what I said?" He exclaimed as he shook her by the shoulders.

"Listen to me. There is a man and a woman coming to Versailles," His lover explained slowly, "They have watched over me my whole life and will not desert me tonight." Her words, however, were only met with blatant confusion.

"What are you talking about? What man and woman?" Louis demanded, jealousy seizing his heart and mind cruelly.

"The only man, save you, I have ever loved, and the only woman who could ever hold even a fraction of his love," She replied, frowning at his obvious envy, "No, don't look like that, there's no time."

The King gaped with incredulity at her words but had no time to protest. "You have your duties. I am your mistress. Go to your queen." He sighed, knowing there was no point in disputing with her on this issue. She watched as he turned on his heel and rushed to aid his beloved wife, Marie, before kneeling before the fireplace.

"Are you there? Can you hear me?" She shouted, fear beginning to creep into her veins, "I need you now. You promised. The clock on the mantel is broken. It is time. Doctor! Anne!" She called out desperately.

TEotOS

Meanwhile, the Tardis materialized in the central hub of a spaceship and released an excited figure known as Mickey Smith. "It's a spaceship. Brilliant! I got a spaceship on my first go!" He cheered, his eyes flicking over his surroundings in delight. Rose followed him out and frowned at the disheveled room.

"It looks kind of abandoned. Anyone on board?" She asked while turning to face the Doctor, and trying to ignore Aneres as she accompanied him.

"Nah, nothing here," He replied.

"Well, nothing dangerous," His Tether corrected.

"Well, not that dangerous," The Doctor continued, "You know what, I'll just have a quick scan, in case there's anything dangerous."

He smiled as Aneres giggled at their antics while Mickey merely stared at them thoughtfully and Rose chose to ignore it.

"So, what's the date? How far have we gone?" She asked while hovering near the two Time Lords.

"About three thousand years into your future, give or take," Aneres replied, fiddling with switches on a console absentmindedly. Rose quickly adapted the usual glare she had for whenever the Time Lady spoke and attempted to focus on her counterpart. Thankfully he was able to diffuse the tension by turning on a projection of the surrounding star system.

"Fifty-first century. Dagmar Cluster, you're a long way from home, Mickey," The Doctor called out, peering at the projection while Aneres moved to stare out a window, "Two and a half galaxies." Mickey rushed over to a window, followed by Rose while the Doctor stared at Aneres.

_"I hadn't realized how well those jeans fit you till now, love,"_ He whispered through their mental connection. Aneres blushed a dark red before smirking and bending over to inspect a device on the floor.

_"How about now?"_ She replied, making sure to stand back up as slowly as she could without Rose or Mickey noticing.

_"Not fair…"_ Her Tether groaned out in her mind, very glad for the console's concealment of his lower half. As time passed and they continued to travel together, it was growing harder to resist his impulses as a male Time Lord with a Tether, just as it was for her as well.

However, his attention was soon drawn away by the bizarre readings coming from the console. "Dear me, had some cowboys in here. Got a ton of repair work going on," Aneres frowned and approached the monitor, making sure to brush her hip against his along the way, "Now that's odd. Look at that. All the warp engines are going."

Her frowned deepened, despite the smug satisfaction she felt at his mild shiver. "Full capacity. There's enough power running through this ship to punch a hole in the universe, but we're not moving," She commented, zooming in on an energy readout on the monitor.

"So where's all that power going?" The Doctor questioned, frowning at the wall in contemplation.

"Where'd all the crew go?" Rose suddenly asked, realizing the notable lack of response to their arrival. "Good question. No life readings on board," The Doctor murmured as he turned his attention back to the screen.

"Well, we're in deep space. They didn't just nip out for a quick fag," Rose noted while picking at her cuticles idly.

"No, I've checked all the smoking pods," The Doctor replied before Aneres cut him off.

"Can you smell that?" She asked with confusion.

"Yeah, someone's cooking," Rose replied in a huff.

"Sunday roast, definitely," Mickey added on with interest. Aneres suddenly jumped as the Doctor opened a door behind them with an accidental switch, her body pressing against his noticeably.

"Whoops," She giggled before traipsing into the new room, leaving a blushing Time Lord in her wake.

"Well, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship," She called out at the sight of an intricate fireplace embedded in the wall of the spaceship. "Eighteenth-century, French," Aneres continued.

"Nice mantle. Not a hologram. It's not even a reproduction. This actually is an eighteenth-century French fireplace. Double-sided. There's another room through there," The Doctor finished, tapping various parts of the mantle before bending over to stare past the flickering flames to the other side.

"There can't be. That's the outer hull of the ship. Look," Rose pointed out, bringing Mickey's attention to the anomaly.

"Hello," Aneres and the Doctor murmured, staring at a little girl through the flames.

"Hello." Aneres smiled at the child's reply in hopes of easing her obvious nervousness. "What's your name?" She whispered gently, leaning a little closer. The Doctor grinned at her gentleness with the little girl. Aneres had always been good with children, which had come in handy a lot with raising their family.

"Reinette," The little girl finally replied, still wary of the two strangers despite their outward kindness.

"Reinette, that's a lovely name. Can you tell me where you are at the moment, Reinette?" The Doctor replied while attempting to study her surroundings from small glimpses past the flames.

"In my bedroom." Aneres giggled at Reinette's reply, the little girl reminding her greatly of her friend Lori and her love of pointing out the obvious.

"And where's your bedroom? Where do you live, Reinette?" She asked. "Paris, of course." There it was again.

The Doctor looked at his Tether, _"I didn't know Lori was here,"_ He mused. "Monsieur, madame, what are you doing in my fireplace?" Reinette continued with an ever-deepening frown.

"Oh, it's just a routine fire check. Can you tell us what year it is?" Aneres asked, stifling a laugh at the Doctor's remark.

"Of course I can. Seventeen hundred and twenty-seven," Reinette remarked, a small smile beginning to form.

"Right, lovely. One of my favorites," The Doctor replied, grinning back at the young girl, "August is rubbish though. Stay indoors." Reinette's eyes grew, alarmed at that.

"Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for your help. Hope you enjoy the rest of the fire. Night, night." Aneres cut in, silencing the Doctor and his large gob. "Goodnight Monsieur, Madame," Reinette replied as they stood up to face Mickey and Rose.

"You said this was the fifty-first century!" Mickey exclaimed, a hint of distrust towards the Time Lords in his voice.

"I also said this ship was generating enough power to punch a hole in the universe. I think we just found the hole." Aneres' comment seemed to appease Mickey until the Doctor added on, "Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink."

Mickey's jaw dropped at the term. "What's that?" He asked, enthralled by the unknown concept.

"No idea, he just made it up. Didn't want to say magic door," Aneres mocked, elbowing the Time Lord in the side while turning to further inspect the fireplace.

"And on the other side of the magic door is France in 1727?" Rose asked while moving to stand mere inches away from the Doctor, much to Aneres' displeasure.

"Well, she was speaking French. Right period French, too," The Doctor stammered out, his unease about Rose's actions growing slightly.

"She was speaking English, I heard her!" Mickey shouted, fearing for his sanity.

"That's the Tardis. Translates for you." Mickey gaped at that explanation from the blonde. "Even French?" He marveled, grinning at this new world he had found in traveling in the Tardis.

"Yeah," Rose replied before Aneres cut everyone off.

"Gotcha!" She shouted as she triggered the fireplace into a rotation. "Annie!" The Doctor shouted, mildly terrified for his Tether.

Aneres frowned as she span around into Reinette's room on a chilly winter's night. Reinette was sleeping soundly as Aneres glanced over the child's surroundings. At least, until Aneres accidentally kicked a corner while making a turn and woke her up.

"It's okay. Don't scream," SHe whispered, holding her hands up where Reinette could see them, "It's me. It's the fireplace woman. Look." Reinette watched as Aneres brought a candle to the fireplace and lit it, illuminating her face.

"We were talking a little while ago. I was in your fireplace." The little girl stared at the woman before her with a mildly amazed smile. "Madame, that was weeks ago. That was months." Aneres nodded in understanding.

"I saw the snow and could feel a slight chill. But, that does mean," She set the candle down before running back to the fireplace and tapping it every so often, "This must be a rather loose connection!" Aneres took a few steps back and noticed a broken clock on the mantel, immediately freezing in place.

Reinette frowned and moved to sit on the edge of her bed. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Aneres didn't reply for a second, the clock still holding a firm grip on her attention as a loud ticking noise rang out.

"Okay, that's scary," She breathed out while slowly inching away from the mantle and towards Reinette.

"You're scared of a broken clock?" The little girl scoffed. "Just a bit scared, yeah. Just a little tiny bit. Because, you see, if this clock's broken, and it's the only clock in the room, then what's that?" Aneres whispered, dread and terror filling her.

"Because you see, that's not a clock. You can tell by the resonance. Too big. Six feet, I'd say. The size of a man." Reinette whimpered at Aneres' words and curled in on herself instinctively.

"What is it?" She whispered.

"Now, let's think. If you were a thing that ticked and you were hiding in someone's bedroom, first thing you do, break the clock," Aneres explained while turning to face Reinette. The child's fear was strong, but the Time Lady could tell her explanation was soothing her slightly.

"No one notices the sound of one clock ticking, but two? You might start to wonder if you're really alone," Aneres continued speaking until she was inches away from Reinette's bed, "Okay darling, come here." Reinette inched over to Aneres' open arms and allowed the Time Lady to pick her up and carry her to the far side of the room.

Aneres placed the petite French girl in a plush armchair, brushing the hair out of her face and whispered, "Keep your eyes closed for me Reinette, okay?" Reinette nodded and squeezed her eyes shut.

Aneres then turned around and came face to face with a man in a mask and gasped loudly. "Madame?" Aneres took a deep breath.

"Don't open your eyes Reinette." The man took a few jerky steps away from her but extended a sort of knife from his hand.

"You, stay exactly where you are," The Time Lady ordered the clockwork before turning back to Reinette, "Hold still, let me look." Reinette felt the woman press her fingers to her temples firmly. Aneres' eyes closed as she inspected Reinette's mind, a deep fury welling up as she delved deeper.

"You've been scanning her brain. What, you've crossed two galaxies and thousands of years just to scan a child's brain?" She shouted in fury as she rounded on the man, "What could there be in a little girl's mind worth blowing a hole in the universe?" She hissed out at the creature.

"I don't understand. It wants me? You want me?" Reinette whimpered, her eyes filling with tears of terror.

"Not yet. You are incomplete," The creature cut off Aneres' reassurances. The Time Lady frowned at the timbre of the voice and realized it was a droid from the ship. However, she had far more important things to worry about.

"Incomplete? What's that mean, incomplete?" The droid didn't reply to Aneres, choosing to remain fixated on the little girl before him. "You can answer her, you can answer me. What do you mean, incomplete?" Aneres snarled while moving to conceal Reinette from him. The droid then leapt into action, slashing wildly with its blade at Aneres. The Time Lady quickly kicked the droid's legs out from under it, rendering it motionless for the moment.

"Madame, be careful!" Aneres turned to smile at the small child and whispered, "Just a nightmare, Reinette, don't worry about it. Everyone has nightmares." The droid suddenly rolled over and began attacking once again. "Even monsters from under the bed have nightmares, don't you, monster?" She asked as the droid charged and stabbed the mantle, trapping himself rather effectively.

"What do monsters have nightmares about?" Reinette called out as Aneres rushed to the mantlepiece and started activating the connection.

"Me!" The Time Lady cheered as the fireplace turned and left Reinette perfectly alone in her bedroom.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted as Aneres and the droid arrived on their side of the connection. Mickey's eyes widened as Aneres lept backward just as the Doctor started spraying the droid with a freezing liquid.

"Excellent. Ice gun." Aneres chuckled at Mickey and explained that it was just a fire extinguisher.

"Where did that thing come from?" Rose demanded, hiding behind the Doctor as she appraised the droid.

"Here," Aneres called out whilst checking herself over for any injuries she might not have felt earlier.

_"I swear Annie, if you are injured…" _The Doctor's thoughts filtered across her mind, bringing a gentle smile to her face. He was so protective of her.

"So why is it dressed like that?" Mickey asked her, frowning at the creepy mask and outfit the droid had donned.

"Field trip to France. Some kind of basic camouflage protocol. Nice needlework, shame about the face," The Doctor rambled while removing the mask, only to reveal an impressive clockwork mechanism.

"Oh, you are beautiful! No, really, you are. You're gorgeous! Look at that. Space age clockwork, I love it. I've got chills!" Aneres rolled her eyes as the Doctor gushed over the clockwork system, absolutely delighting in every detail. "Listen, seriously, I mean this from the heart, and, by the way, count those, it would be a crime, it would be an act of vandalism to disassemble you. But that won't stop me." The Doctor was unable to do anything further however, as the droid managed to melt the ice and teleport away.

"Short-range teleport. Can't have got far. Could still be on board," Aneres muttered, glaring at the hallways it could have disappeared to.

"What is it?" Rose asked the Doctor confusedly. The Time Lord, however, had taken ahold of Aneres hand and was making his way back towards the mantle.

"Don't go looking for it!" He ordered them as he activated the mechanism and span back into Reinette's world.

Rose glared at the fireplace, her body mildly shaking in anger at the Time Lady that was continuing to sink her claws into her love. She growled and hefted the fire extinguisher into her arms like a large gun.

"He said not to look for it," Mickey warned, frowning at Rose.

"Yeah, he did." Rose's large smile and her eyes that beckoned him shattered Mickey's resolve, and the human man grabbed another fire extinguisher.

"Now you're getting it," Rose said with a grin before rushing down the hallways with Mickey close behind.

TEotOS

Aneres stared around at the room's new interior. Gone were the toys, plush armchairs, and the child's bed as more mature furniture pieces now dominated the room. "Reinette? Just checking you're okay," She called out, concern blooming in her heart for the little girl. The Doctor strummed a few notes on a rather beautiful harp beside them until a young woman entered the room.

"Ahem," The Time Lords looked up to see a beautiful blonde woman with striking cheekbones and electric blue eyes staring at them in shock.

"Oh. Hello. Er, we were just looking for Reinette. This is still her room, isn't it?" The Doctor asked.

"I've been away, not sure how long," Aneres added, her eyes pleading with the woman before her.

"Reinette! We're ready to go!" Another woman's voice echoed through the house.

"Go to the carriage, Mother. I will join you there," The blonde, Reinette, called back. Aneres sagged in relief that the little girl from mere minutes ago was still alright.

"It is customary, I think, to have imaginary friends only during one's childhood. You two are to be congratulated on your persistence." The Doctor and Aneres blushed as she made her way over to them.

"Goodness, how you've grown," Aneres murmured with a gentle smile. The Doctor grinned at the Parisian woman.

"And neither of you appear to have aged a single day. That is tremendously impolite of you," Reinette scolded them, her eyes fixed on the Doctor.

"Right, yes, sorry. Listen, lovely to catch up, but better be off, eh?" The Doctor stammered out, his smile twitching with nervousness.

"Don't want your mother finding you up here with a strange man and woman, do we?" Aneres chimed in, her smile still strong.

"Strange? How could you be strangers to me? I've known you since I was seven years old." The Doctor chuckled and murmured, "Yeah, I suppose you have. We came the quick route."

Reinette leaned in and placed her hands on Aneres' cheeks. "You seem to be flesh and blood, at any rate, but this is absurd. Reason tells me you cannot be real," She whispered, staring into Aneres' vibrant eyes before turning to the Doctor.

"Oh, you never want to listen to reason." Reinette blushed and pulled away from Aneres.

"Mademoiselle! Your mother grows impatient." Reinette huffed at the servant's call. "A moment! So many questions. So little time," She whispered before pulling the Doctor into a rather enthusiastic snog against the mantlepiece. Aneres gaped at them, her eyes widened and a rather harsh rush of envy flooded her mind.

"Mademoiselle Poisson!" The servant called again, arriving at Reinette's bedroom. At that, the blonde rushed out of the room just as the servant entered. Aneres turned to glare at her Tether, who was rather dazed and confused until the servant's words registered properly.

"Poisson? Reinette Poisson? No!" Aneres rolled her eyes at the Doctor as he began gushing over the blonde woman, "No, no, no, no, no way. Reinette Poisson? Later Madame Etoiles? Later still mistress of Louis the Fifteenth, uncrowned Queen of France? Actress, artist, musician, dancer, courtesan, fantastic gardener!" Aneres grabbed the Doctor and tugged him back to the mantlepiece.

"Who the hell are you?!" The servant exclaimed, incredibly confused. "I'm the Doctor, and I just snogged Madame de Pompadour. Ha, ha!" Aneres growled as she set off the mechanism and sent them back into the fireplace room.

As soon as they arrived, Aneres pushed her Tether up against the fireplace and kissed him deeply. _"Annie…" _The Doctor moaned out in her mind as his tongue began dancing with hers and his hands moved to take ahold of her hips. His Tether ran her hands up his arms and tangled them into his hair, pulling gently. The Doctor growled and moved to press kisses down her jaw and neck, nipping at her skin as he went. Aneres then yanked his head back up, pressing her forehead against his, and staring into his eyes.

"Snog another woman again and you'll never go between my legs again," She hissed out coldly, the Doctor paling at the threat, before pulling away and walking into the main room.

"Rose! Mickey!" She called out before releasing a shout of frustration, "Every time, every time, it's rule one. Don't wander off." The Doctor cut her off by pulling her close to him.

"Calm down dear," He murmured gently, "And, don't worry about me snogging anyone else. I don't know how anyone could compare to you, cause Reinette sure doesn't." Aneres smiled slightly, her jealousy fading away until only her frustration at Rose and Mickey remained.

"We need to find your companions," She whispered before walking down the hallway. "Yep, there could be anything on this ship," The Doctor said as they turned the corner and ran into a white horse.

TEotOS

Mickey made his way down the hallways, doing complicated rolls with the fire extinguisher still in his hands. "Are you looking at me?" He asked as a camera made its way towards him, a human eye within the lense.

"Look at this. That's an eye in there!" He shouted as Rose approached him, "That's a real eye." Rose frowned at the camera as a thumping noise similar to a heartbeat echoed from the wall. In the back of her mind she wondered what the Doctor's heartbeat would sound like if she laid on top of him and listened with her ear to his chest. She opened a small hatch in the wall, and gazed at its contents in horror.

"What is that? What's that in the middle there? Looks like it's wired in," Mickey asked, confused.

"It's a heart, Mickey. It's a human heart," Rose whispered, staring at the organ as it continued pumping. She stood up slowly and walked away from the hatch with Mickey close behind. No words were exchanged for several minutes as they moved across the ship, noting other organs wired into machinery but trying their best to ignore them. Finally, Mickey piped up.

"Maybe it wasn't a real heart," He hoped, the concept thoroughly disgusting to him.

"Course it was a real heart," Mickey was astounded and concerned by Rose's nonchalance as they continued walking, worried that Rose had seen so much that this really was nothing. "Is this like normal for you? Is this an average day?" He asked tentatively, studying Rose's expressions.

"Life with the Doctor, Mickey? No more average days." Her words did nothing to assuage his fears, merely confirming and heightening them. Thankfully he was able to distract himself as they approached a large window connecting to Reinette's world.

"It's France again. We can see France."

Rose peered closer at the glass and murmured, "I think we're looking through a mirror." The two humans watched as a man entered with two men flanking him, arrogance seeping from his form as he ordered them about.

"Blimey, look at this guy. Who does he think he is?" Mickey scoffed, rolling his eyes at the man while the Doctor and Aneres approached.

"The King of France," The Time Lord piped up, staring past them at the room.

"Oh, here's trouble. What you been up to?" Rose asked as her cheeks colored and her eyes sparkled at the sight of him.

"Oh, this and that. Became the imaginary friend of a future French aristocrat, picked a fight with a clockwork man," Aneres listed off, delighting in Rose's annoyed expression before a loud neigh cut her off, "Oh, and we met a horse."

Rose and Mickey gaped at the newest edition to their group.

"What's a horse doing on a spaceship?" Mickey exclaimed in shock.

"Mickey, what's pre-revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get a little perspective." Aneres cuffed the Doctor across the back of his head at that comment.

"Be nice," She murmured, garnering a smile from Mickey.

"See these? They're all over the place. On every deck. Gateways to history," The Doctor continued, pouting at Aneres as his head throbbed, "But not just any old history, hers." Rose and Mickey watched as Reinette entered the King's chambers, blushing handsomely.

"Time windows deliberately arranged along the life of one particular woman. A spaceship from the fifty first century stalking a woman from the eighteenth," Aneres elaborated as she watched the young woman converse with the King.

"Why?" The Doctor wondered.

"Who is she?" Rose asked, once again jealous.

"Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, known to her friends as Reinette. One of the most accomplished women who ever lived," Aneres murmured, proud of the little girl she had protected despite her most recent actions.

"So has she got plans of being the Queen, then?" Rose asked, staring at the other blonde.

"No, he's already got a Queen. She's got plans of being his mistress," The Doctor explained softly, continuing to study the woman. The longer he looked at her, the less appealing she became. Truly, she could not compare to Annie's beauty in any way whatsoever.

"Oh, I get it. Camilla," Rose joked, causing Mickey to chuckle lightly.

"I think this is the night they met. The night of the Yew Tree ball. In no time at flat, she'll get herself established as his official mistress, with her own rooms at the palace. Even her own title. Madame de Pompadour," Aneres explained as the King and his servants left Reinette alone in the room. The latter quickly approached the mirror, checking over her appearance hurriedly.

"The Queen must have loved her," Rose scoffed.

"Oh, she did. They get on very well," The Doctor pointed out, smiling at Reinette, unseen.

"The King's wife and the King's girlfriend?" Mickey asked, the very idea confusing him.

"France. It's a different planet." Mickey nodded at Aneres' words while Reinette turned to see another person in the corner of the room.

"How long have you been standing there? Show yourself!" She shouted angrily, only to balk in fear at the sight of yet another clockwork like the one from several years ago. Aneres paled and quickly rotated the mirror while grabbing Mickey's extinguisher.

"Hello, Reinette. Hasn't time flown?" She asked, rushing forward to spray the droid.

"Fireplace man!" Reinette gasped as the Doctor followed with Rose's extinguisher, spraying the droid thoroughly. The Time Lords stopped and retreated to Reinette's sides, only to pale as the droid creaked under the ice.

"What's it doing?" Mickey asked, mildly terrified.

"Switching back on. Melting the ice," The Doctor began. "And then what?"

Aneres sighed in annoyance, "Then it kills everyone in the room." Mickey paled at her words, taking several steps back from them.

"Focuses the mind, doesn't it?" The Doctor asked as the droid leapt to life again, "Who are you? Identify yourself." The droid remained silent.

"Order it to answer him," Aneres muttered, staring at Reinette.

The blonde gaped at her protector, "Why should it listen to me?" The Time Lady shrugged at her question and explained, "I don't know. It did when you were a child. Let's see if you've still got it."

"Answer his question. Answer any and all questions put to you," Reinette commanded, shaking slightly from fear.

"I am repair droid seven." Aneres let out a soft hum at the reply.

"What happened to the ship, then? There was a lot of damage," She asked while taking a step closer.

"Ion storm. Eighty two percent systems failure." The Doctor scowled at its words.

"That ship hasn't moved in over a year. What's taken you so long?" Aneres frowned as well, that didn't make any sense.

"We did not have the parts." Mickey chuckled at the reply, "Always comes down to that, doesn't it? The parts." Rose shushed him, studying the droid intently.

"What's happened to the crew? Where are they?" The Doctor asked, taking a couple steps closer. "We did not have the parts," The repairman replied once again.

"There should have been over fifty people on your ship. Where did they go?" Aneres demanded, growing frustrated with the android who once again replied with "We did not have the parts."

The Doctor growled in frustration, storming up to the bot, "Fifty people don't just disappear. Where…" The Time Lord trailed off as the replies finally clicked. "Oh. You didn't have the parts, so you used the crew." Aneres shuddered at the thought. "The crew?" Mickey asked.

"We found a camera with an eye in it, and there was a heart wired into machinery," Rose whispered softly, wanting to gag at the realization.

"It was just doing what it was programmed to. Repairing the ship any way it can, with whatever it could find. No one told it the crew weren't on the menu." Aneres shook her head sadly as she explained.

"What did you say the flight deck smelt of?" The Doctor asked softly.

"Someone cooking," Rose whispered.

"Flesh plus heat. Barbeque. But what are you doing here? You've opened up time windows. That takes colossal energy. Why come here? You could have gone to your repair yard. Instead, you come to eighteenth-century France? Why?" The Time Lord rambled, trying to work out the problem before him.

"One more part is required," the droid replied, fixating on Reinette who flinched at its gaze.

"Then why haven't you taken it?" Aneres asked darkly, shielding the girl as she had all those years ago.

"She is incomplete." The Doctor raised an eyebrow at that reply while Aneres snarled at the droid.

"What, so, that's the plan, then. Just keep opening up more and more time windows, scanning her brain, checking to see if she's done yet?" She shouted, glaring at the robot.

"Why her? You've got all of history to choose from. Why specifically her?" Rose asked, distracting the Time Lady.

"We are the same," The droid replied, finally eliciting a response from Reinette.

"We are not the same. We are in no sense the same!" She shouted as fear overwhelmed her. The droid's reply was the same as before, and only caused her to screech once again. "Get out of here. Get out of here this instant!"

Aneres' eyes widened at the order, shouting, "Reinette, no!" as the droid teleported away.

"It's back on the ship. Rose, take Mickey and Arthur. Get after it. Follow it. Don't approach it, just watch what it does," The Doctor ordered, turning to stare at the still open time window.

"Arthur?" Rose asked. "Good name for a horse," The Doctor replied as he ushered them out.

"No, you're not keeping the horse!" Rose joked. "I let you keep Mickey. Now go! Go! Go!" He shouted while Aneres pulled Reinette aside and started to calm the poor woman.

"Reinette, you're going to have to trust us. We need to find out what they're looking for. There's only one way we can do that. It won't hurt a bit," Aneres murmured, pulling the Doctor over to place his fingers to her temples. "Fireplace man, you are inside my mind," Reinette gasped out in shock.

"Oh dear, Reinette. You've had some cowboys in here," The Doctor murmured as he made his way through her mind and Aneres watched on in concern.


	13. The Girl in the Fireplace: Lonely Angels

Mickey and Rose made their way down the corridors silently as they searched for Repair Droid 7. "So, that Doctor, eh?" Mickey chimed in, a sheepish smile on his face.

"What are you talking about?" Rose groaned out with a scowl at her friend.

"Well. Madame de Pompadour. Sarah Jane Smith. Cleopatra," Mickey listed off, only to be cut off by Rose. "Cleopatra. He mentioned her once," She complained, her scowl morphing into a far more unpleasant expression. It was almost as if she thought he was an idiot, just like the Doctor did.

"Yeah, but he called her Cleo. And what about Aneres? I'll bet you ten quid they were more than best mates," Mickey rambled, not noticing the droid approaching them until it lunged and grabbed him by the throat. Rose barely noticed though, far more horrified by Mickey's blasphemy about the Doctor and Aneres at that moment. So much so, she didn't even register the other droid until it injected her with a sedative and her world went black.

TEotOS

Back at Versailles, Reinette found her mind-melding with that of the Doctor and feeling his warm presence filter through it rather unpleasant. "You are in my memories. You walk among them," She whispered, shaking slightly at the bizarre sensation. It felt different from when Aneres did it to her as a child, less natural.

"If there's anything you don't want me to see, just imagine a door and close it. I won't look," The Doctor murmured, trying his best to be minimally invasive. "Oh, actually there's a door just there. You might want to cl. Oh, actually, several." Reinette opened her eyes, sparkling with repressed laughter at his light-heartedness.

Aneres smiled at Reinette comfortingly and moved to rub her back soothingly as they continued. "To walk among the memories of another living soul. Do you ever get used to this?" Reinette asked in awe of what she was experiencing.

The Doctor chuckled, "I don't make a habit of it." He then focused a little more, trying to find her milometer.

"How can you resist?" She asked, truly not comprehending how one could go through life with such power and only use it sparingly. It could allow for so much more knowledge, more intimacy. Which, was the primary reason that many Time Lords only did it to their spouses, siblings, and children. It was a level of knowledge that only certain people in your life had the privilege of obtaining, and only six people had ever peered into the mind of the Doctor. Aneres had done this with seven people, but he was the only one that she trusted with free reign of her mind.

"What age are you?" The Doctor asked as he was unable to find her milometer at the moment.

"So impertinent a question so early in the conversation. How promising," Reinette teased, not noticing Aneres stiffen slightly and glare at her.

"No, not my question, theirs," He whispered as he finally found it, "You're twenty-three and for some reason, that means you're not old enough."

Reinette suddenly shuddered, pulling back from the Doctor slightly. "Sorry, you might find old memories reawakening. Side effect," Aneres whispered to the young woman soothingly.

"Oh, such lonely childhoods," Reinette breathed out, audibly heart-broken at whatever she was seeing.

"It'll pass. Stay with me," The Doctor whispered. "Oh, Doctor, Annie. So lonely. So very, very alone," She sobbed out, now feeling Aneres stiffen from behind her.

"What do you mean, alone? You've never been alone in your life. When did you start calling me Doctor?" The Doctor opened his eyes, shocked at Reinette's words.

"Such a lonely little boy, and such a sad little girl. Lonely and in despair until they found each other. Tethers. How did you bear it?" Aneres and the Doctor pulled away, the Time Lord urgently pulling Aneres beside him.

"How did you do that?" He whispered coldly. Reinette should not have been able to access his own mind, let alone get glimpses of Aneres' through their bond.

"A door, once opened, can be stepped through in either direction," She explained, walking over to her protectors.

Aneres stared at the woman before her in complete disbelief. Once again she was coming face to face with a miracle, a bout of nonsense. "Oh, Doctor. My lonely Doctor and his vengeful love," The two Time Lords flinched.

"Dance with me," Reinette ordered, holding her hands out to them.

"We can't," The Doctor eventually choked out.

"Dance with me." Aneres smiled weakly at the woman's demand but couldn't bring herself to say anything in response. This amazing human had managed to see them in some of their most vulnerable states, and she was supporting them in the best way she knew how.

"This is the night you dance with the King," The Doctor whispered, his voice choked with too many emotions that he couldn't begin to process.

"Then first, I shall make him jealous." Aneres and the Doctor frowned at that reply, moving impossibly closer to one another. Reinette smiled at them as she had only been poking fun. Her glimpse of their minds had been brief, but she could tell immediately how much they loved one another, even if one of them was holding back in fear.

"We can't," The Doctor repeated, his resolution firm. "Doctor. Doctor who? It's more than just a secret, isn't it?" Reinette asked, staring at Aneres knowingly.

"What did you see?" The Time Lord demanded, terrified that perhaps she had managed to learn the one secret that only Aneres and his parents were meant to know.

"That there comes a time, Time Lord, when every lonely little boy must learn how to dance with the saddest little girl and lift her up to the stars," Reinette whispered before pulling them into a spare room to change Aneres into a proper gown for the night ahead.

TEotOS

The Doctor turned around as a door opened to reveal Aneres and Reinette, with the former in a beautiful gown that Reinette had selected for her. The dark gold silk brightened her emerald eyes while the black trim matched her ebony locks marvelously, and it took everything in the Doctor's power to not push her against the wall for a kiss. Or several.

"How do I look?" The Doctor centered himself and slowly approached his Tether, reaching up to move a tendril of her hair behind her delicate ear.

"You look magnificent," He whispered before pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. Reinette smiled at the pair of them and only felt a speck of sadness at the Doctor's exclusivity with Aneres. She had seen inside both of their minds, seen the inferno of love that blazed within them for each other, and instead of feeling despair she most felt angry towards the both of them for not just confronting their feelings and moving on together, as they should be. However, that was not for her to say. She had to focus on garnering the King's coveted attention, on solidifying her place on the very top of the world.

The two Time Lords turned back to face her with palpable excitement. This would be the first party they had been to in centuries as a couple, and it would undoubtedly be unforgettable.

"Onwards my beloveds," Reinette murmured, grabbing each of their hands and leading the way to the massive ballroom that awaited them. Aneres smiled and tugged Reinette to her side as best she could in the large gown.

"Thank you so much," She whispered, feeling so very lucky that she had been given the chance to find such an amazing friend. Reinette grinned back just as they arrived at the ballroom and found themselves swarmed by French aristocrats on all sides.

"It is time for a minuet!" The conductor called out, inciting a flurry of excitement from several young men and women that carried the Doctor and Reinette onto the floor while Aneres ended up partnered with King Louis himself.

"Your Highness," She greeted, curtsying before the man gracefully. He smiled at her and began to lead her through the steps, chatting all the while. Aneres soon found him to truly be a well-mannered man and one that she found a pleasant conversation in. Reinette, however, had the true grasp on his attention as his eyes rarely strayed from her form as she danced with the devilishly handsome Time Lord.

"If I may ask, do you know who that man is? With Mademoiselle Poisson?"

Aneres grinned and softly replied, "That would be my husband. He didn't want her to be all alone during the dance you know. So many beastly men here that might not show her a splendid time." The King grinned at her reply and, once the dance ended and he made his goodbyes to Aneres, moved to Reinette rather quickly while the Doctor accompanied his Tether.

"What have you done, you little minx?" Aneres blushed as his arm wound around her waist to pull her body against his. "I may or may not have hinted about Reinette's lack of a partner to the King," She whispered while grabbing a flute of champagne for herself and another for the Doctor.

"You, my darling, are magical," The Doctor whispered as he ran his thumb across the curve of her hip slowly and they continued to make the rounds.

Only a few dances and one champagne later, Aneres found herself dancing with her husband and enjoying it immensely. She felt lighter than air as they gently swayed across the polished floors of Versailles, twisting and twirling every so often in each other's arms.

"I had forgotten how much you love to dance," The Doctor crooned to his Tether.

"Only because it has been… about four centuries since we last crashed a ball. Do you remember that?" Aneres' remark caused the Doctor to let out a bark of laughter at the memory. They had decided to show up, completely unannounced, to the Bradley Martin ball in 1897. Aneres had looked very different at the time, with fiery red hair and only coming to the petite height of five feet and one inch compared to her current ebony locks and height of five feet and ten inches, and she had worn a gown of emerald silk with primrose pink embroidery that had made several ladies quite envious.

Granted, their husbands and any men that were not spoken for weren't terribly happy to see such a woman be escorted by a husband. "You were absolutely gorgeous, even Mrs. Cordelia herself adored your outfit and she was a rather picky woman." Aneres blushed at his remark.

"You looked rather stunning yourself, especially since your Fifth self was willing to relinquish the celery pin for the night," She quipped, easily flowing through the dance as they spoke. The Doctor smiled down at his Tether, loving the times like these where nothing made them snap at each other, and they could just reminisce in peace. Of course, he also knew why those times were rare.

"When we get back to the Tardis, I'm going to have a chat with Rose." Aneres gasped and stumbled on a step, grateful for the Doctor's arms keeping her steady.

"You're going to what?" She asked, staring up at him in mild alarm.

"Annie, I can't let her go on thinking she has any chance of me loving her the way I love you," He explained slowly, glad to finally be able to put this into words, "You are my world, and I haven't shown her or Mickey how important you are. So yes, I am going to talk to Rose." His Tether stared up at him, her eyes and mouth wide with incredulity and delight beyond measure.

"I love you," She whispered gently, pressing a kiss to his lips as the dance came to an end.

"I love you too," The Doctor murmured before they made their way across the room to say goodbye to Reinette.

TEotOS

The Doctor tugged Aneres down the halls after they dropped off her old clothes at the Tardis. She had absolutely fallen in love with the gown and seemed to be in no mood to take it off at the moment. Well, unless the Doctor was the one removing it. They soon found themselves listening to Mickey and Rose frantically shouting for things to stop, to not chop them to bits.

"I think they found the droids," The Doctor murmured, undoing his tie to wrap it around his head. He pulled out a pair of cheesy sunglasses from his pockets and slipped them on before turning to Aneres and smudging her lipstick a bit and mussing up her hair.

"You know… This would have been easier," Aneres whispered before pulling him into a kiss. This one was softer, but by no means lacking in passion as it left traces of lipstick on his lips and his hair in a wild mess when she pulled away. The Doctor gaped at her before smiling and kissing her cheek gently.

"Ready?" He asked, his smile growing at Aneres nod and wobbly walk as they stood up and made their way to the room that currently held his companions.

"Ever heard of the Daleks? Remember them?" Rose tried, frantically trying to dissuade the droids from dissecting her and Mickey, "They had a name for our friend. They had myths about him and a name. They called him the-" A loud crash, followed by drunken singing of poor quality, cut her off. She and Mickey shared a look, absolutely terrified until they realized it was Aneres' voice.

"I could've danced all night, I could've danced all night-" She warbled, followed by another crash as the Doctor joined in, his own singing just as poor.

"They called him the. They called him the the-" Rose stammered fitfully, paling at the two Time Lords as they slid into the room. Well, the Doctor slid. Aneres more stumbled or tripped over the gargantuan gown that she had adorned at some point.

"And still have begged for more. I could've spread my wings and done a thou," Aneres belted, taking a goblet from the Doctor and continuing to wobble around. "Have you met the French? My god, they know how to party!" The Doctor cheered, effectively cutting Aneres off. Rose scowled at the two Time Lords and prayed to God that the lipstick all over their faces was not from what she thought it might be from.

"Oh, look at what the cat dragged in. The Oncoming Storm."

The Doctor pouted at Rose's words, stumbling over to whisper, "Oh, you sound just like your mother." The blonde gaped at his words, the insult very unlike him.

"What've you been doing? Where've you been?" Rose demanded, glaring at the Time Lady who had continued to sway back and forth while caressing the goblet lovingly.

"Well, among other things, I think just invented the banana daiquiri a few centuries early. Do you know, they've never even seen a banana before," The Doctor explained, leaning in to stare into Rose's eyes, "Always take a banana to a party, Rose. Bananas are good." The Doctor then stood and tugged his cup away from Aneres, leaving the poor woman pouting.

"Oh ho, ho, ho, ho, brilliant. It's you," He cheered as he noticed the repair droids scattered across the room.

"You're my favorite, you are. You are the best!" Aneres cheered at the one droid from Reinette's childhood bedroom, "Do you know why? Because you're so thick. You're Mister Thick Thick Thickity Thick Face from Thicktown, Thickania. And so's your dad." Aneres finished her rant with a harsh glare at the clockwork as if he had shot her cat in front of her.

"Do you know what they were scanning Reinette's brain for?" The Doctor asked Mickey and Rose, still utterly, drunkenly gleeful.

"Her milometer. They want to know how old she is," Aneres replied, grinning like a schoolchild that had gotten a math problem correct.

"Know why? Because this ship is thirty-seven years old, and they think that when Reinette is thirty-seven when she's complete, then her brain will be compatible," The Doctor elaborated, causing Rose to roll her eyes in frustration. All she wanted for him to get her off the table already!

"So, that's what you're missing, isn't it, hmm? Command circuit. Your computer. Your ship needs a brain. And for some reason, God knows what, only the brain of Madame de Pompadour will do," Aneres finished, standing right in front of the lead droid.

"The brain is compatible," It replied, bringing a communal eye roll from the Time Lords.

"Compatible? If you believe that, you probably believe this is a glass of wine," The Doctor babbled before removing the mask and pouring the goblet over the droid's head. Instantly the droid seized up and bent over.

"Multigrain anti-oil. If it moves, it doesn't," Aneres explained before taking the sonic and freeing the two humans. Mickey grinned as he realized the two idiots were completely sober, just looking for a laugh.

"Right, you two, that's enough lying about," The Doctor barked, "Time we got the rest of the ship turned off." He hastily flicked a switch to shut off the androids, relieved that any danger had been removed from the situation.

"Are those things safe?" Mickey asked Aneres as she attempted to tidy herself up.

"Yeah. Safe. Safe and thick, the way I like them," She replied before the Doctor cut her off.

"Okay. All the time windows are controlled from here. I need to close them all down. Zeus plugs. Where are my Zeus plugs? I had them a minute ago. I was using them as castanets," He rambled, only stopping when Aneres fished them out of her bodice.

"Huh, wonder how those got there!" Rose gaped at the Time Lady's audacious exclamation. The Doctor blushed a dark red at his Tether's action, knowing it had been entirely purposeful.

"Why didn't they just open a time window to when she was thirty-seven?" Mickey asked, hoping to divert Rose's attention before she ripped Aneres' head off with her bare hands.

"With the amount of damage to these circuits, they did well to hit the right century. Trial and error after that," The Doctor explained before frowning down at the console, "The windows aren't closing. Why won't they close?" Aneres rushed over to inspect it, only to find herself equally confused.

A bell rang out at that moment, just as Rose managed to calm herself down a tad. "What's that?" She asked coldly, glaring at the Doctor and Aneres.

"I don't know. Incoming message?" The Time Lady pondered, her eyes flicking over the androids.

"From who?" Mickey asked as he also approached the console.

"Report from the field. One of them must still be out there with Reinette," Aneres realized, groaning at the sheer annoyance this caused.

"That's why I can't close the windows. There's an override." Mickey's eyes widened at the Doctor's words, once again fearing for their collective safety. The droid abruptly stood, expelling the oil from his finger.

"Well, that was a bit clever," Aneres grumbled at the robot while the switch flicked from off to on and the rest of its friends woke up.

"Right. Many things about this are not good," The Doctor whispered to Aneres.

"Message from one of your little friends? Anything interesting?" The Time Lady jested, smiling at them insincerely.

"She is complete. It begins," The droid said, the smile on its mask seemingly eerily appropriate for the morbid joy that echoed with that statement.

"What's happening?" Rose asked as they all teleported away from the humans and Time Lords.

"One of them must have found the right time window. Now it's time to send in the troops. And this time they're bringing back her head," Aneres snarled, fury overwhelming her and her Tether as their friend was once again put in danger.

TEotOS

Aneres ran down the hallways of the ship in a frantic search for a time window that was relatively close to Reinette's thirty-seventh birthday. Eventually, she came upon a tapestry and rushed though it to find herself in a room in Versailles. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Madame de Pompadour sitting upon a chaise with a book.

"Reinette, darling," She whispered, smiling as the human merely turned to smile back at her.

"My dearest Annie, how are you?" Reinette asked as she pulled the Time Lady into a hug, not noticing that Aneres was wearing the outfit from their ball nine years ago.

"I am well Reinette, but I come with bad tidings. The clockwork men, they are coming for you again," She winced as Reinette paled and her eyes widened in fear, "In about five years I would say." Her heart cracked open as Reinette pulled away from her to sit on the chaise again, her breathing speed increasing rapidly.

"How, how do you know they are coming?" The woman demanded, staring up at her lifelong protector.

"In my world, I can travel between different events in time without aging, as can the Doctor," Aneres explained slowly, "And we found a vessel that travels through the stars where there are different rooms connecting to different times of your life." Reinette's eyes continued to widen, almost not willing to believe her words.

"They are random, and the connections are frail, which is why we have come and gone from your life in such a sporadic fashion." Tears began to leak from the aristocrat's pale eyes as she was forced to comprehend so much more than she believed possible.

"The clockworks use it similarly, but they are on a mission to harm you once you are thirty-seven." Reinette grabbed Aneres' hands tightly in her own.

"Can't you stop it? Please, you must stop it!" She begged, openly crying now.

"I cannot stop it now. In my timeline, they have already gone to hurt you and I do not know how to find them yet. But, I can promise you that it will all be alright," Reinette cried harder and allowed herself to be pulled into Aneres' embrace.

"I have watched over you since you were seven years old, I love you in my own way, and I can promise you that you will be fine." After a few moments, the Time Lady hugged the woman goodbye and made her way back to the ship to hunt the droids down and end their pitiful existence.

TEotOS

Aneres continued running up the corridors until she found the Doctor behind a rather large pane of glass, a mirror in the Versailles ballroom. "Is this the time window?" She asked, running over to her Tether. The Doctor nodded as he continued to assess it, hoping there was some way to get through.

"You found it, then?" Rose asked as she and Mickey caught up to them.

"They knew we were coming, they sealed it off!" Aneres blanched and frantically started pushing any buttons she could, praying for a miracle.

"I don't get it. How come they got in there?" Rose asked, staring through the mirror at the clockworks as they held people hostage.

"They teleported. You saw them. As long as the ship and the ballroom are linked, their short-range teleports will do the trick," Aneres snapped, unable to deal with Rose's questions as her friend was about to be harmed, maybe even killed.

"Well, we'll go in the Tardis!" Rose snipped back smugly.

"We can't use the Tardis. We're part of events now," The Doctor scoffed at the humans.

"Well, can't we just smash through?" Mickey pointed out, grinning as Aneres turned to stare at him in a sort of proud shock. "Hyperplex this side, plate glass the other. We need a truck," The Doctor shouted. "We don't have a truck," Mickey started, "But we do have a horse," He and Aneres finished.

The Time Lady bolted from the room, searching for Arthur in any nearby hallways.

"No, Annie! Smash the glass, smash the time window. There'd be no way back!" The Doctor screamed as Annie came back riding Arthur. She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand to hoist him up onto the horse.

"As if I would go alone." Rose started kicking up a storm at that statement, realizing exactly what the Time Lords were about to do.

TEotOS

Reinette took a deep breath as she addressed her fellow hostages. "Everyone, please!" They all quieted down immediately, recognizing her importance, "Such a commotion. Such distressing noise. Kindly remember that this is Versailles. This is the Royal Court, and we are French." King Louis watched in terror as his lover turned to address those that had taken them prisoner, and praying to any god that she would be alright.

"I have made a decision. And my decision is no, I shall not be going with you today." The lead droid barely acknowledged Reinette's words, merely replying, "We do not require your feet." Two other droids then moved forwards and forced the woman to her knees before her fellow courtiers.

Had this not been a life or death situation, she might have had enough mental capacity to feel humiliated. However, she merely gazed up and addressed the droids once again. "You think I fear you, but I do not fear you even now. You are merely the nightmare of my childhood. The monster from under my bed. And if my nightmare can return to plague me, then rest assured, so will yours."

No sooner than she had finished her statement, a horse crashed through the mirror with Aneres and the Doctor atop it. They landed safely, the Time Lady grinning cockily at the crowd.

"Madame de Pompadour. You look younger every day," She called out before dismounting from Arthur.

"What the hell is going on?" Louis shouted, his fear bubbling up further and further.

"Oh. This is my lover, the King of France," Reinette blurted out, her embarrassment not unlike that of a child introducing a boyfriend to his or her parents.

"Yeah? Well, we're the Lord and Lady of Time, and we're here to fix the clock," The Doctor replied as he removed the mask from the lead droid, who decided to point his blade at the Time Lord.

"Forget it. It's over," Aneres snapped, palpably furious, "For you and for us." The droid turned to stare at the brick wall that had replaced the mirror. "Talk about seven years bad luck. Try three thousand," The Doctor grumbled, despite being happy that their friend was safe.

TEotOS

"What happened? Where did the time window go? How are they going to get back?" Mickey asked worriedly as he inspected the shattered hyperplex glass. Rose slowly fell to her knees, crying softly.

TEotOS

"The link with the ship is broken. No way back," Aneres whispered as she approached the Doctor and the leader, "You don't have the parts. How many ticks left in that clockwork heart, huh? A day? An hour?"

The Doctor looked the droid over before whispering, "It's over. Accept that. I'm not winding you up." At that, all of the droids simultaneously slowed their ticking until they seized up and fell over, shattering their clockwork selves on the tile of Versailles. The Time lady turned back to Reinette and hoisted her up.

"Are you all right?" She asked, checking her over like a mother hen.

"What's happened to them?" Reinette asked, staring at her guardian angels.

"They've stopped. They have no purpose now," The Doctor explained as he moved to wrap an arm around Aneres.

"Come, you need some time alone." Reinette allowed the two Time Lords to lead her from the ballroom, ignoring King Louis as he tried to follow them.

"You know all their names, don't you?" Reinette asked as they stared up at a starry night sky, "I saw that in your mind. The name of every star." Aneres smiled at their brilliant friend. Only she would have figured out how to use a mind-meld to her advantage.

"What's in a name?" She whispered, continuing to stare at the universe above them.

"Names are just titles. Titles don't tell you anything," The Doctor added, grinning at the two women. "Like the Doctor," Reinette joked, giving each of them a goblet of wine. "Like Madame de Pompadour," Aneres giggled, taking a sip of wine.

"I have often wished to see those stars a little closer. Just as you have, I think." Reinette stared longingly, her sentiments well acquainted with the Doctor and Aneres. "From time to time," The former whispered despite it not being the full truth. He had always wanted to see the stars, to see what else the Universe might hold for him outside of his home on Gallifrey.

"In saving me, you trapped yourselves. Did you know that would happen?" Reinette asked suddenly, her voice sad as she appraised her friends. Aneres nodded slowly. "Mmm. Pretty much." The Doctor held her hand tightly, just glad they were together at least.

"Yet, still you came," Reinette whispered, so very thankful that she had been lucky enough to have them protecting her.

"Yeah, I did, didn't I? Catch me doing that again," The Doctor jested, smiling at Reinette while giving Aneres' hand a gentle squeeze.

"There were many doors between my world and yours. Can you not use one of the others?"

Aneres let out a sad sigh at her question and explained, "When the mirror broke, the shock would have severed all the links with the ship. There'll be a few more broken mirrors and torn tapestries around here, I'm afraid, wherever there was a time window." She suddenly jolted a little and stared at Reinette.

"We'll, we'll pay for any damage. Er, that's a thought, we're going to need money. We were always a bit vague about money. Where do you get money?" She asked frantically, only to earn a giggle from Reinette and the Doctor.

"So, here you are, my lonely angels, stuck on the slow path with me," Reinette murmured, staring at the floor.

"Yep, the slow path. Here's to the slow path," The Doctor whispered kindly, raising his goblet in a toast to which they all drank to.

"It's a pity. I think I would've enjoyed the slow path." The Time Lords stared at her with a melancholy smile.

"Well, we're not going anywhere," Aneres whispered, setting her goblet down to hold Reinette's hand. "Oh, aren't you?" She asked, her small smile inescapably sad, as she started leading them from the room.

The three of them slowly made their way to Reinette's private bedroom and gaped at the sight of a very familiar mantlepiece. "It's not a copy, it's the original. I had it moved here and was exact in every detail," She whispered, nudging the Doctor and Aneres towards it.

"The fireplace from your bedroom. When did you do this?" The Time Lady asked, carefully inspecting the long broken clock, and relieved that Reinette would never have to worry about ticking noises anymore.

"Many years ago, in the hope that a door once opened, may someday open again. One never quite knows when one needs one's friends," She explained, moving to stand closer to them. "It appears undamaged. Do you think it will still work?"

The Doctor frowned, his voice and eyes filled with uncertainty as he inspected it. "You broke the bond with the ship when you moved it, which means it was offline when the mirror broke. That's what saved it," He explained slowly.

"But the link is basically physical, and it's still physically here. Which might just mean, if I'm lucky. If I'm very, very, very, very, very, very lucky…" Aneres tapped the fireplace at that moment, and the hollow sound was music to their ears.

"Ah ha!" Aneres cheered before turning to smile at Reinette. "What?" She asked, her eyes flicking between the two of them.

"Loose connection," The Doctor explained before using the sonic screwdriver on the mantlepiece, "Need to get a man in." Aneres smacks the mantlepiece which gives a resounding clunk before beginning to turn.

"Wish us luck!" A tear fell down Reinette's cheek at that moment as she watched her friends disappear.

"No," She whispered, hating the heartbroken expression on their faces as they were saved. But, she heard their voices not a mere second later, calling for her. She rushed over to kneel before the fireplace.

"Still want to see those stars?" The Doctor asked, looking just as he had when they first met.

"More than anything," She whispered, grinning at Aneres in delight.

"Give us two minutes. Pack a bag." Reinette's smile widened at the Time Lady's order.

"Am I going somewhere?" She asked, hardly daring to believe it.

"Go to the window. Pick a star, any star!" Aneres cheered before standing up while the Doctor ran off to reassure Rose and Mickey.

The Doctor ran back as quick as he could, hurriedly rotating him and his Tether through the connection, only to be greeted by an empty room. "Reinette? You there, Reinette?" Aneres called out, trying to ignore the unease welling up.

"Reinette?" She called out again as they made their way further into the palace.

"Oh, hello," The Doctor whispered at the sight of a rather aged King Louis staring out the window at a bleak rainstorm.

"You just missed her. She'll be in Paris by six." Aneres stared at the man, unblinking, unable to comprehend what he had said.

"Why is she going to Paris?" She breathed out, refusing to make the logical and truthful conclusion.

"Good Lord. She was right," Louis breathed out, not hearing Aneres' comment but in shock at her appearance, "She said you never looked a day older. So many years since I saw you last, but not a day of it on your face." The Doctor nodded somberly as tears leaked from Aneres' eyes and down her pale face. Louis turned and pulled a letter from a nearby desk, Reinette's writing desk.

"She spoke of you many times. Often wished you'd visit again. You know how women are," He whispered, handing the letter to Aneres, only for the Time Lady to drop it as her hands shook with grief. The Doctor bent down and picked it up carefully.

"There she goes," Louis whispered as the carriage carrying their friend to her grave left the long drive of Versailles. "Leaving Versailles for the last time. Only forty-three when she died. Too young. Too young," The King continued despairingly.

"Illness took her in the end. She always did work too hard." Aneres sobbed softly at that, taking the letter to stare at her handwriting one last time. "What does she say?" The Doctor shook his head and led Aneres out of the room, and away from Reinette.

TEotOS

Aneres and the Doctor re-entered the Tardis, having taken a moment to compose themselves before they saw his companions. "Why her? Why did they think they could repair the ship with the head of Madame de Pompadour?" Rose asked once they had gotten comfortable.

"We'll probably never know. There was massive damage in the computer memory banks. It probably got confused," Aneres whispered hoarsely before clearing her throat a few times.

"The Tardis can close down the time windows now the droids are gone. Should stop it causing any more trouble," The Doctor finished, smiling at the two humans tentatively.

"Are you all right?" Rose asked, moving to stare into the Doctor's eyes. However, he merely stood and moved over to Aneres.

"I'm always all right," He replied, smiling at her slightly.

"Come on, Rose. It's time you showed me around the rest of this place," Mickey suddenly piped up, realizing the Time Lords needed to be alone.

Aneres decided against that though. "Actually Mickey, if you and Rose could stay for a moment." The two humans froze before turning back to face the two Time Lords.

_"Are you sure_" The Doctor whispered to Aneres mentally. _"Yes, tell them,_" Aneres replied, leaning back to watch the show. Rose frowned as the Doctor took a deep breath and clasped Aneres' hand in his.

_"No… no no no,"_ She thought to herself, just as the Doctor opened his mouth. "Rose, Mickey," He nodded at each of them, "We wanted you to know that…" The Time Lord trailed off slightly before taking another breath to steady himself. "Aneres and I, we're husband and wife."

**Boom. Two chapters in one day! Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I am so excited to write a filler now because of it! As always please leave me a review if you have questions, comments or concerns because I love to hear from you. Have an amazing day you lovely readers and thank you for not giving up on me yet! Till next time!**


	14. Tethered Together

Rose knew exactly when she had fallen in love with the Doctor. The exact time that she discarded her previous life, the moment that she decided the Doctor was her entire universe. Glen Miller had played in the background, and he had spun her across the console room like nothing and no one else mattered, not even Jack Harkness. They continued on from that point, with her completely lovestruck and not truly caring that she was losing Mickey or anyone else she might have known before. She had found her forever, that was what she believed. That is, until he changed into the slim, foxy man he was now and just… dropped her. Ever since the regeneration, he had changed from her forever; mutating into someone she desperately longed for but could never reach. All because of Aneres.

Aneres. She had looked up what it meant, hoping that perhaps it would be an embarrassing title, more ammo to beat her down with. But, all it meant was peace, tranquility, and serenity. Rose couldn't believe that, not for a single second. The only things Aneres had brought upon her and the Doctor were pain, misery, and danger. How could the Doctor ever think that she, such a thorn in their sides, was better than her? She had just reappeared without warning, not even considering Rose's feelings on the matter, and proceeded to overthrow the balance they had crafted together. Granted, it was the Doctor's choice on who came with them, and who was allowed to stay in the Tardis. But, this was merely another evil trait of Aneres, another characteristic of her manipulative tendencies. There was no other explanation for it. She was absolutely horrid. She was violent. She was intolerant of his beloved companion. By all accounts, she should have been thrown out on her ass.

But instead, she was standing next to the Doctor, calm as a cucumber, as he announced their… relationship. Rose would never acknowledge a marriage between the Doctor and anyone that was not her. No one else deserved even the smallest sampling of his majesty in her opinion. And so in light of this, Rose was only able to respond to the Time Lord and that… thing next to him, by turning on her heel and leaving the console room in shock.

Aneres, The Doctor and Mickey watched as Rose left the room, her face blank as a slate and eyes filled with unshed tears. "What the hell Doctor?" The two Time Lords jumped as Mickey whirled on them, absolutely furious. "How could you do this to Rose? Don't you understand she's in love with you?" The Time Lady frowned at him but did not allow jealousy to grow within her. Her confidence in their bond was more than certain, especially after that display from her Tether. "It isn't like we went out and got married in France or on another adventure Mickey," She explained slowly, "We've been married for about eight centuries now, but it's more sacred than that." Mickey continued to glare at her, absolutely enraged at the hurt they causing Rose to endure. "The Time Lords have a secret type of bond that has sealed us together from the day we were born until the day we die, and no one could ever sever it." His eyes widened at that, almost not believing the Doctor. This had turned from marriage to something that sounded remarkably like soulmates, something he had never truly believed in. "So why didn't you tell Rose this?" The Doctor sighed softly as he thought back to New Earth when he had found Aneres.

"I tried to warn her, I truly did. When we first found Aneres I explained that we were more than friends, that we had a far deeper bond that I really can't explain in detail," Mickey frowned as the Doctor explained while Aneres watched him curiously. The Time Lord looked down at his Tether before refocusing on the rather angry human before him. "I don't think Rose wanted to believe that I did not love her as she seems to love me," Aneres nodded at that, "And I think she believed that she would hold enough of my heart in time that she could easily overpower whatever connection she thought Aneres and I shared." As the Doctor spoke, Mickey turned his gaze to the floor and actually listened to what the Time Lord was telling him. Rose had thrown away his love, their relationship, her mother, their friends, for a man who had told her to the best of his abilities that he was unavailable. Bile started to rise in his throat, burning just as his unfounded anger towards the two aliens had just moments before.

"Did you ever think of just… leaving her back on Earth after you found Aneres? Giving her a clean break?" Mickey asked, shuddering as he took a few deep breaths. "I didn't want to consider that as an option, I've always wanted to have companions with me, even when Aneres and I traveled together ages ago." Aneres smiled at the Doctor's kindness and open heart as she thought back to all of the previous companions they had cared for and bonded with so deeply. Sarah Jane, Romana, Ian, and every other friend of theirs had a special place in their hearts and they would have loathed leaving them behind just because they didn't like one of the Time Lords very much. "I think you oughta consider it, cause she hates you Aneres. Like, I think she would let you or someone else get hurt if it meant she would be closer to the Doctor," The Doctor shook his head at Mickey's words in disbelief as the human continued, "I came to you with the issues at Derry Vale under the assumption that Aneres was some sociopath that was out for Rose for absolutely no reason. Obviously I was wrong, but I had made this assumption off of Rose's words." Aneres looked up at the Doctor, not terribly concerned but also not exactly wanting to be around the human girl. He took a deep breath, but still didn't reply even after a few seconds.

"I…" Mickey waited for the man to finish. "I need some time to think it over. We both do." Aneres nodded and began to lead her disturbed Tether from the room. Before they left, she turned back to face Mickey. "Let me show you where you'll be staying before we go talk alright Mickey?" She asked, staring at him kindly. The human sighed and nodded slowly before following them down the hall until they arrived at a dark red door that opened to reveal a copy of his apartment from back home. "Thanks, guys. Make sure to think everything over." The Doctor nodded slowly before pulling Aneres down the hallway to her room.

TEotOS

The two Time Lords made their way to the plush blankets and pillows atop Aneres' bed and curled up together. The Doctor pulled her body close to his, tucking her head under his chin and just lay there while listening to her breathing. "It feels different," He breathed out after a moment, "To know that people know you're mine." Aneres smiled and snuggled closer to him to breathe in his comforting scent. "Good different or bad different?" She asked after a moment, hoping for the former. "A very good different," He whispered, moving his hand up to rub Aneres' back in gentle circles. His Tether soon found herself drifting off in his arms, content to just lay there for a few minutes.

Or hours. The Doctor had long fallen asleep when Aneres awoke and found herself filled with energy. She smiled at the Doctor and pressed a kiss to his cheek before rising from the bed and stretching for a bit. Her breath flowed through her lungs easily as she loosened her body up a little, taking great care to be quiet and not disturb the Doctor. He truly needed to be sleeping more than he had been lately, as shown by the slightest dark circles under his lids. Once her muscles felt a little more relaxed she put a blanket atop the Time Lord and then left the room to take a quick walk. They were still floating through the Time Vortex, she could feel it in the slight wobbles the Tardis made as she moved through the corridors and explored more of the rooms available. What with all of the adventure and drama with Rose, it was no surprise that she had no clue what half of them were anymore. However, that changed as she unknowingly stumbled into the library, a large indoor pool area, a trampoline room, a ballroom, and finally the kitchen. With a sigh of relief, she grabbed some bananas and other baking ingredients and got to work on some banana cupcakes.

Just as Aneres placed the tray of confections in their cooker, the Doctor woke up from their little nap and frowned at his noticeable lack of company. However, he did not immediately start shouting for her across their connection. Instead, he was content to simply use it to pinpoint her presence in the Tardis' kitchen as he sat up and unearthed himself from the blanket his Tether had draped over his sleeping form a short while ago. "Mmm, that was a good nap," He whispered to himself before taking a second to look at Aneres' room a little more. She had decorated a little more in their short time together, adding a small framed portrait of her and her two best friends, Lori and Wryanim, to her nightstand, next to the photo of himself and his best friend Koschei. Aneres and Koschei had never been best friends, but they did enjoy each other's company in the few times they were ever alone. Granted, those moments did increase in occurrence after Koschei married her sister, Vesta, shortly after her sister's one hundred and tenth birthday. He and Aneres had only been married for twenty years at that point, despite the Tether binding them together for far longer than that. The Doctor took a deep breath and shook his head, attempting to distract himself from the memories with the rest of her decorations.

Other than the photos, he noticed a few pieces of embroidery hanging on the wall as miniature tapestries, as well as a jewelry box that held some of her favorite necklaces and rings from throughout the years. However, he was soon distracted by the smell of banana wafting down the hallways of the Tardis and set off to find Aneres, undoubtedly the source of the delightful smell.

TEotOS

Rose stared up at the ceiling of her room silently, her brain still struggling to comprehend what she had just been told by the love of her life. "Married?" She whispered softly, her whole world threatening to crumble at that very thought. For over a year she had fallen deeper in love with the Doctor, devoted her time and care to the alien whenever he needed it, and all for nothing. Instead of picking the one more worthy of his love, he had married the hateful Time Lady. "Why?" Rose choked out, bursting into tears before hiding her face away into her pillow. _"How could he choose her over me? I have been here for him in his darkest time, loving and supportive. And instead of choosing me over her, he decides to just let her waltz back into her life,"_ Rose thought to herself, sobbing harder into her pillow with each passing second.

She was only roused from her sobbing mess when Mickey sat down on her bed next to her, rubbing her back soothingly. Even though his mind rather disliked her, perhaps even hated her, his heart couldn't stand to see Rose suffering no matter how well deserved it was. Slowly, the blonde slowed her crying and turned to look into Mickey's eyes despite very blurry vision. "Hey," She whispered softly. Mickey took a deep breath and whispered, "They told me about their connection and how the Doctor warned you about it when Aneres first met you." Rose frowned, not remembering this at all. She filtered through all of her memories until, with a gasp, she found the one Mickey was talking about. The Doctor had tried his best to tell her to back away, that Aneres was closer to him than anyone, but she had ignored the warning. "He should be mine, Mickey…" He sighed sadly before standing up and making his way out of her room. "If you can't get over yourself, they will leave you behind. It may not be today, tomorrow, or in a year, but it will happen." Rose paid no mind to Mickey's warning, choosing instead to wrap herself up in her blankets and turn on the telly that was across the room.

TEotOS

The Doctor grinned as he entered the kitchen to see several batches of cupcakes and brownies covering the countertops, the distinct scent of banana melding with the chocolate in the air. "Do I finally get the treat of your amazing cooking?" He asked, his smile widening as Aneres turned to face him with a brush of flour across one cheek and a small banana chunk on her nose. "Yes you do, darling heart of mine," She replied with an equally large smile while setting down the last batch of brownies for the day. "I went on a bit of a rampage, I hope you don't mind…" Her voice trailed off as the Doctor pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. "I love your cooking," He murmured, wrapping an arm around her waist while he grabbed a cupcake and bit into it. A groan of delight erupted from him at the taste, inciting a rather charming giggle from his Tether.

"Just as good as you remember?" She asked, stealing a small lick of frosting from his confection. The Time Lord nodded in delight, quickly eating the rest before starting on a second one. "How was your little doze?" Aneres moved to start cleaning up the various kitchenware she had used, slowly tidying up while she watched him eat. "Amazing," The Doctor managed to say mid-chew, before swallowing. "But, I did realize something when I woke up." His Tether gave off a gentle hum in reply while she scrubbed at a pan. "You should move into my room," The Doctor said as he cut a brownie free from a nearby tin. Aneres froze, her eyes wide and cheeks flushed. "Really…?" She whispered slowly before turning to face him. "Of course. You belong in my arms, in my bed, every night," He crooned while taking a bite of brownie. "What do you think?" Aneres grinned at his question and quickly nodded yes in response, garnering a delighted laugh from the Time Lord. He moved to take her into his arms, spinning around in a few circles and relishing her own laughter before he gently set her down.

"You make me so happy," The Doctor whispered. Aneres smiled up at him and murmured, "You make me even happier." He blushed slightly and pulled her into a kiss, absolutely loving his ability to kiss her whenever and wherever he liked. "But," Aneres interrupted the kiss, "Should we start moving me in now? Or later?" The Doctor smiled before leading her from the kitchen and back to her room. "Right now," He answered while entering her room again. The Time Lady immediately grabbed the various photos she had put up and passed them to the Doctor, who was in the process of grabbing some of her favorite books from a nearby shelf. He took them and set them down gently on one of the piles he had made, noticing several other pictures he hadn't seen earlier. "It's a good thing the wardrobe is so massive," Aneres pointed out while the Doctor picked up one of the pictures, completely absorbed in her move-out process. Her Tether, however, was very intrigued by a photo he had not seen in his nine hundred years in the universe. It was of Aneres, from back when they were in the Academy, her parents and her sister standing in front of a large house, her childhood home.

"When did you take this?" He asked, turning to her with the photo still in hand. She looked up from her various toiletries and smiled at the sight of the picture. "That was just after Vesta graduated the lower levels in school. We had a small party at the house with my Nan and her friends to celebrate, and she actually ended up taking the picture." The Doctor smiled. Vesta and Aneres had looked very similar during their first regenerations, but there were unmistakable differences between the two women. While Aneres and Vesta shared the same chestnut-brown hair, the latter had piercing eyes in a peculiar shade of grey and blue and a far wider smile as opposed to emerald orbs that glinted like gems and a delicate smile that conveyed a timeless grace. "It all seems so long ago," He mused while setting the photo back down. Aneres smiled at him, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Some of it still hurts every day," She reminded him, wincing at the thought of the family they had lost. The Doctor nodded in understanding but tried to shake it off and focus on the task at hand.

"Come on, let's get you all set up in your new room." The Time Lady nodded and scooped up some of her stuff, her Tether grabbing the rest before they made their way down to his room. They looked up at the plaque above the doorway and grinned as it changed to include Aneres' name in circular Gallifreyan across it. "Welcome home," The Doctor murmured with a kiss to her temple before leading her inside.

**Helllooooooo everyone! This filler was quite short, but that's because it is going to be a TWO CHAPTER FILLER. There was a lot I wanted to address and doing it all at once did not make sense in the slightest, so I'm breaking it up a little. We did get a lot of info on Aneres' and the Doctor's friends/family, so let me recap.**

**Aneres had one sister named Vesta. I imagine her first body to look like Emilia Clarke with her natural dark hair, while Aneres resembled Lily Collins. Vesta did get married to Koschei, aka the Master. I know this is SUPER non-canon, but hey that's okay. Creativity and running with my imagination is what I'm here for. **

**I hope you all enjoyed reading this today, I hope to have the next chapter out in the next week or two depending on my school schedule. Have an amazing day, please review cause it really does help and I always appreciate you taking the time to do so, and keep living your amazing lives!**

**-Angel**


	15. Decisions and Protests

The Doctor took a step back as he surveyed their newly redecorated room with a grin. His Tether had placed their various photos on a long table against one of the walls, her books in a floor to ceiling shelving system, the jewelry box had been situated on the nightstand next to her side of the bed, and her embroidery pieces were sitting beneath the pictures as cushions between the frames and the table.

"It feels more like home," He hummed, tugging Aneres into a hug. The Time Lady smiled and looked into his eyes, her hearts about to burst with far too many emotions.

"Kiss me?" She whispered while gazing up at him. The Doctor grinned and turned her so she was facing him before pressing his lips to hers.

He didn't know how he had survived for centuries without her touch, her voice, her smile, her mind, he truly could not fathom it. As their lips molded to each other, gliding in a passionate waltz they knew by heart, he felt impossibly closer to his Tether. Aneres smiled into their kiss as she caught wind of his thoughts across their vibrant connection.

_"You found me again in the end,"_ She whispered into his mind while turning her attention back to their kiss.

_"Indeed I did," _He crooned back, his hands drifting down to hold her hips gently. Aneres moaned softly and pressed her body even closer until they were completely flush against one another.

_"God, you're amazing,"_ The Doctor growled mentally as his lips broke away to kiss her neck again, relishing in the soft scent of blackcurrant and jasmine that wafted off of her skin. The Time Lady moaned slightly louder, her hands tangled in the Doctor's wild hair, and her body trembled wildly in his arms. However, the pleasure was not to last as the Doctor pulled away a few seconds later. Aneres pouted up at him.

"That was very rude of you," She muttered, her eyes flickering with barely repressed frustration. Her Tether sighed softly. "As much as I enjoyed that, we do need to talk about Rose." Aneres slumped slightly and flopped backward onto the bed.

"Must we? Can we not just leave her back on Earth like Mickey suggested?" A mere look at the Doctor told her exactly what he thought of that plan.

"Alright, then what do you suggest we do instead?" She asked. The Time Lord flopped next to her on the bed, staring up at the mural of a changing night sky on his ceiling.

"I don't know. As horrid as she's been lately, I don't want to just drop her somewhere and forget all about her. At the same time though…" He trailed off, remembering all of the hate-filled glares and snide comments towards the one woman he had ever truly loved in his nine hundred years in this universe. Aneres turned her head slightly to watch him silently. She knew exactly how she could make the Doctor send Rose away, all she would have to do was mention how Rose had tried to assault her in her room after their adventure with Victoria. But, that wasn't fair to the Doctor. He needed to make this decision on his own, Rose was his responsibility, not hers.

"_Thank you,"_ She heard him whisper sadly, having only caught the tail end of her thoughts while his lips pursed into a thoughtful frown. Aneres reached out to take the Doctor's hand in hers, glad that her idle thoughts had been reassuring to the love of her life. For a while, they just laid there on the bed and picked over the situation with a fine-toothed comb. Unfortunately, they kept coming back to the same conclusion. The Doctor did not want to let a companion go if he could help it, and he thought that Rose had the capacity for change. The very thought was horrid and unbelievable to the Time Lady, who wanted nothing more than to kick Rose's arse all the way to next Sunday and then drop her off on Earth.

Finally, the Doctor sighed and sat back up. "How about we compromise?" Aneres stared at him, her curiosity peaked. "Rose needs to show that she can be kind to you by the end of the month. How does that sound?" The Time Lady rolled her eyes at the time limit but thought on it for a few minutes. While she would have to deal with Rose, for the time being, she also knew in her hearts that Rose had little to no restraint and would probably ruin it all fairly quickly.

"I will only agree if there is a three-strike system added to this," Aneres finally replied. The Doctor groaned and hid his face in his hands. "And how do you suppose we will agree to give her a strike?" The Time Lady straddled him quickly and grinned down at him.

"Mickey will decide. He has no passionate love for Rose anymore, nor does he have an intense attachment to either of us, so he gets to be the judge." The Doctor sat up and wrapped his arms around her middle, trapping her on his lap.

"Mickey isn't exactly thrilled that she abandoned him, how would he look past that bias?" Aneres rolled her eyes once again.

"Fine, no strike system. How about if she threatens me, she's gone?" The Doctor smiled slightly.

"That's a given, dearest," He whispered while leaning forward to nuzzle her neck slowly. His Tether blushed and leaned forward to tuck her face into the crook of his neck.

"I love you," She murmured slowly. The Doctor beamed at that, hugging her impossibly tighter. "I love you too." They continued to hold each other tightly until Aneres whispered gently, "Kiss me again?" Her Tether beamed and was all too happy to oblige.

TEotOS

Rose, however, was having a far worse time coping with the revelation that the only man she cared about was… gone. Well, not gone per se. He was physically there, smiling, laughing, being the Doctor in every way except for the crucial detail of him not loving her. That killed Rose to think about, and to remember that it was Aneres that he loved only made her want to scream. The Time Lady symbolized everything that the Doctor abhorred with her violent and waspish nature towards Rose and several others. How could he possibly be in love with such a monster? It was at that moment that Rose sat up in her bed and came to a life-altering realization.

"He doesn't actually love her, he just thinks he loves her. She's done something to him, made him believe they're married," Rose stood up and paced her room, trying to think her theory through. Possession was a possibility, but she didn't know how that might work with aliens. Perhaps blackmail? The blonde stopped and hummed thoughtfully to herself at that concept. Aneres had known the Doctor for years, even during the War. It wouldn't be hard for someone with such a lack of empathy to use someone's trauma against them. Rose grinned like the cat that got the cream until someone knocked at her door. She turned to see Mickey standing there, his face completely devoid of emotion. He raised an eyebrow at her palpable excitement.

"Something good happen?" Rose nodded, "I think Aneres is blackmailing the Doctor into claiming her as his wife, and I would love it if you could help me prove it."

Mickey's first response was complete silence and lasted for a long while. Then a short, slightly manic, chuckle broke it and continued to erupt from him until he was laughing at his ex-girlfriend loudly.

"Are you insane Rose?" He asked, staring at her in complete shock, "I am not helping you prove that your crush is not in fact married to a rather spectacular woman." The blonde glared at him, her cheeks were red and her eyes stung slightly.

"In fact, I am going to take this moment to warn you. Aneres and the Doctor just had a lovely chat about whether or not they were going to kick you out after all the stunts you've pulled." Rose gaped at her ex-boyfriend, fear seizing her heart like an iron vice. If the Time Lady could manipulate the Doctor into saying she was his wife, it would be an easy feat to remove her from the Tardis. Her breathing started to quicken and salty tears fell from her eyelashes, stained black with far too much mascara.

"They debated leaving it up to me," Mickey continued, and relished in how her face paled three shades, "But instead they are giving you a month to get your shit together. Either prove your brilliant theory and run off into the sunset with the man who's ass your head is up or just give up now and spare yourself further pain and humiliation."

Rose didn't know how to feel about that. They were thinking about getting rid of her? They couldn't… _She _was the Doctor's companion. _She _vanquished the Dalek Emperor. _She_ was far better than anyone the Doctor had ever encountered, especially Aneres. The blonde snarled at the thought of the Time Lady, a harsh rage bubbling in her chest and threatening to pour from her mouth like magma. It continued to build, higher and higher until it snapped ever so slightly. Rose grabbed a bookend and threw it across her room, shattering a vase and releasing barely an iota of her tension.

"I can see why they'd get rid of you," Mickey commented. She glared at the man, her eyes rampant with fury. "If you break a vase just from thinking about Aneres, how do you think you'll react when you see her in person again and she tells you their conditions?" The human girl huffed at his words and tried to block him out to no avail.

"Will you try to tear her hair out like you did to Shareen? Or is she gonna get the old one-two you gave to Lucas from secondary?" Rose thought it over and quickly decided that no; those attacks were nothing compared to the fury she wanted to release unto Aneres. "I can already tell you're going to fail, Rose, and you're going to lose the Doctor and you will be all alone."

"I won't be alone," Rose whispered, staring at Mickey. "I'll always have you." The laughter was instant this time, and far higher pitched as Mickey tried to process what she had just said.

"If you think that I am at all invested in you anymore after you left me with no warning and never actually gave a shit, then you are a far more idiot arse than I thought." The human girl gaped as Mickey then turned on his heel and left, still chuckling at her audacity and idiocy.

_"How dare he insult me?! I am the best thing that has ever happened to him and he calls me names?" _Rose's thoughts dripped with poison as she returned to her pacing, blind with rage and tasting only the bile of disgust and loathing that she held for the Time Lady who had taken everything away from her. Well, soon Aneres would get her just desserts. At least, if Rose had anything to say about it.

TEotOS

Aneres moaned loudly as the Doctor kissed her deeply, her body still astride his on their large bed. "Don't stop," She whispered into their kiss which had long since turned from chaste to a complete make-out session as if they were teenagers again. The Doctor delightedly obeyed, his tongue dancing with hers while his hands tightened their grip on her marvelous hips. The Time Lady tentatively rolled them and gasped at the friction that erupted before forming a rhythm with her Tether.

"Mmm," Aneres hummed as the Doctor continued to kiss her with a blinding need that erased anything and anyone else from their minds. However, the Tardis had other plans and did a sort of barrel roll through the Time Vortex, which promptly sent the two Time Lords off the edge of the bed and onto the hardwood floor with a loud THUNK.

"I think she wants up to stop," Aneres whispered conspiratorially to her Tether, grinning at him with mischief dancing in her eyes. The Doctor grinned back, quickly getting lost in every feature of her face. Her lips were full, and bruised a dark red from their heated kissing; which only served to make certain parts of the Doctor awaken ever so slightly. As with every single one of her regenerations, her eyes had remained a bright emerald green, with a ring of grey around her pupil that simply entranced him. Even as children her eyes had been what had drawn him to her initially, and not just him. Several boys and girls had followed Aneres' every move and hung on every word that left her delightful mouth up until they were 30 years old and he realized she was truly his and his alone. It had been one of the best days of his life, not counting the creation of their family and their wedding day. Of course, that was probably true for any man that loved his wife as much as he loved her.

"Whatcha staring at?" She whispered, blushing at his intensity in observing her.

"You, the love of my life." Her blush darkened at his words, and her eyes brightened up as if a Christmas tree had been lit within them.

The Doctor rolled towards her so that their noses were just barely brushing. "You are the most stunning woman I have ever met in any of my ten lives," He murmured and slowly ran a hand through her raven locks. "Every inch of you is perfect beyond measure, and to be without you would be torture." Aneres beamed at the Time Lord and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not going anywhere, isn't it?" She crooned before pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. The Doctor quickly returned the favor, only to receive yet another kiss for his efforts. Soon it became a kiss-war, and Aneres was winning by a long-shot.

TEotOS

It took a while for Rose to calm herself down from her raging fit at her room's furniture. Probably because it wasn't Aneres' face she was throwing bookends or actual books at. Thankfully, she was decently calm at that moment because the Doctor happened to stumble in to talk to her. Unfortunately, though, his dishevelment was obvious and only exacerbated by the slight traces of lipstick on his face.

_"Hmm, wonder where he got that from?"_ Rose's mind hissed coldly as her eyes fixed on the Doctor in hopes that what Mickey had told her was incorrect.

"We need to talk, Rose, about you staying on the Tardis," The Time Lord began, wincing at her stricken expression but pushing on nonetheless. "Aneres and I decided that you staying here would still work, but there's a condition." The blonde paled further at his words, praying to whatever deities existed that he would not send her away and that Aneres wasn't involved.

"You have a month to clean up your act and start treating my wife better." _"Dammit," _Rose cursed mentally while the Doctor continued.

"And if you hurt her, or even attempt to hurt her in any way during that time, I will throw you out into your home on Earth myself. Understood?" The Time Lord waited several seconds for a response, growing concerned when Rose just gaped at him like a dead fish that died of fright.

Eventually, she managed to string a coherent sentence together. "Yes Doctor, I understand," She choked out behind a lump in her throat. The Time Lord grinned at her brightly and gently patted the woman on the shoulder.

"Great, thank you so much, Rose!" He stood up and began to leave the room, "Make sure you stop by the kitchen and try some of the baked good Aneres made, they're quite good!" The blonde managed a weak smile as he closed the door behind him before absolutely breaking down in tears. Everything had managed to go so wrong, so quickly, and it was going to take everything she had to fight against it if she had any hopes of getting the Doctor back.

TEotOS

Aneres walked through the halls of the Tardis towards the console room, tying her hair up with a red ribbon as she went. The ship was idly humming and seemed content to continue flying through the Vortex for now. Well, as long as she wasn't voraciously kissing her Tether in a way that would have given her Nan a heart attack with no hope of regeneration. Then the old girl seemed perfectly content to just do a somersault through all of time and space just to mess with her. As they continued to float through space, she thought of Rose and how well this turn of events might play out in the near future. Part of her wanted to support her Tether and keep his companion, someone he truly cherished, around until the very end. However, that part was very small and diminishing each day that she spent in the presence of the annoying, self-absorbed human known as Rose Tyler.

No sooner had she thought that did Aneres arrive just outside said human's bedroom and see the absolute carnage littering the floor. A sigh escaped her at the broken vases and mildly damaged books cluttering up her floor. What she saw next, however, was far more exciting. In the brown eyes of Rose Tyler, she saw a blatant challenge for the love of her Tether and knew that whatever Rose was going to throw at her, she could send back twice as hard. After all, she now had her kisses with the Doctor as bullets and his compliments as grenades to completely shatter the pathetic girl's cause. Game on Rose Tyler, game on.

**BADA BING BADA BOOM ANOTHER CHAPTER UP! I know I told some of you that this would not be out for a little while but I was on a roll and I'm so obsessed with this story right now that I needed to get more of it on the page and out of my head. Hopefully, you all enjoy that this is updated once again (four updates in a week? What is this?) and I can take an itsy bitsy break to focus on some school stuff. My schedule is gradually going to get worse, just letting you guys know, but right now I can get some good work done to tide you guys over during my possibly super sporadic upcoming updates. Have an amazing day, please don't forget to review, and I love all of you so much!**

**-Angel**


	16. Rise of the Cybermen: Parallel Worlds

Aneres walked into the console room a few days later to see Rose and the Doctor exchanging stories while Mickey stood at the console and held a button down. "And that weird munchkin lady with the big eyes? Do you remember?" She walked up behind the Doctor and pressed a kiss to the top of his head, causing him to pause briefly. The Time Lady grinned smugly at Rose, who was just barely hiding her hatred by a forced smile, before walking over to chat with Mickey for a bit.

"The way she looked at you! And then she opens her mouth and fire comes out!" Her Tether continued, blushing a dark red after that interruption.

"I thought I was going to get frazzled!" Rose cackled, eliciting an eye roll from the Time Lady. "Has her voice always been that annoying?" She asked Mickey, her voice low. The human man chuckled and nodded. "Yep, her hyena skills are strong." The Time Lady snickered until she caught a glimpse of his finger pushing down a button. A frown passed over her face.

"Doctor? Why is Mickey holding this button down?" She called out knowingly, her eyes fixing the Time Lord with a reproachful stare. The Doctor winced at the reminder. Mickey's jaw fell open at that.

"You just forgot me!" Aneres raised her eyebrows at the Doctor, daring him to deny it. Of course, he did.

"No, no, no. I was just, I was, I was calibrating. I was just. No, I know exactly what I'm doing," The Doctor retorted as he stood up to poke at the console, only to be sent back by the time rotor exploding. Aneres yelped and pulled Mickey away from the console, only to be grabbed by the Doctor. "What's happened?" Rose shrieked as she was tossed about the console room.

"The time vortex is gone!" The Time Lord replied, frantically pulling levers, "That's impossible. It's just gone." Aneres paled as she felt the machine go into free fall. "Brace yourself! We're going to crash!" Mickey immediately threw himself to the floor in an attempt to protect himself, and found himself getting bounced back up as the Tardis crashed into something and came to a grinding halt.

"Everyone all right? Rose? Mickey?" The Doctor called out, having been knocked against a Y-beam. Rose and Mickey slowly nodded as they rose from the floor gingerly. Aneres also nodded, but quickly shook her head no at the feeling of blood dripping down her forehead.

"Oh God," The Doctor whispered, running over to kneel before her and inspect her cut.

"It's not too deep." He nodded at his Tether's words, gingerly dabbing at the cut with a hankie from inside his jacket.

"Your regeneration energy should clear it up in a jiffy," The Doctor whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. "Little better?" Aneres beamed at his actions.

"Much," She murmured until she realized what had just happened.

"The Tardis…" The Doctor quickly stood and marched over to the console to inspect it. "She's dead. The Tardis is dead," He eventually declared with sad eyes and a heavy weight on his hearts.

"You can fix it?" Rose asked immediately, worry blooming in her chest. "There's nothing to fix. She's perished. The last Tardis in the universe. Extinct." Tears formed in the eyes of both Gallifreyans. Their ship was their last reminder of home aside from each other, the very thought of her dying broke their hearts.

"We can get help, yeah?" Rose asked after a minute as her eyes remained fixed on the Doctor in worry. Well, that wasn't all she felt. Delight had coursed through her at the sight of Aneres' injury, yet it had been killed as quickly as it came by the Doctor's affectionate gesture towards the Time Lady.

"Where from?" She frowned at Aneres' response.

"Well, we've landed. We've got to be somewhere." The Doctor took a deep breath as he attempted to see past Rose's idiocy and explain exactly why that didn't matter.

"We fell out of the vortex, through the void, into nothingness. We're in some sort of no place," He muttered while helping Aneres to her feet, smiling slightly at her mostly healed gash, "The silent realm. The lost dimension." No one noticed Mickey opening the Tardis doors to whatever lay beyond.

"Otherwise known as London," The human called out with a grin before stepping out onto Lambeth pier.

"London, England, Earth," He cheered, turning in a small circle to get a good look at everything, "Hold on." Aneres shuffled out to see him fish a newspaper from a nearby rubbish bin.

"First of February this year. Not exactly far-flung, is it?" The Doctor frowned at Mickey and looked up, his mouth opening slightly at what he saw. His Tether followed his gaze and paled at the sight.

"So this is London." Mickey rolled his eyes at Aneres. "Yep," He replied. "Your city." He slumped at the Doctor's addition. "That's the one." The Time Lords merely kept staring at the sky. "Just as we left it," Aneres murmured worriedly. "Bang on," Mickey snapped, about to turn back to the aliens. "And that includes the Zeppelins?" At that, Mickey also turned his gaze to the sky and gasped at it.

"What the hell?" He breathed out as massive airships passed overhead, gliding between the skyscrapers of London.

"That's beautiful," Rose whispered as she finally made her way out of the Tardis, only to scowl as the Doctor wrapped an arm around Aneres' waist.

"Okay, so it's London with a big international Zeppelin festival." The Time Lords shook their head at Mickey's response.

"This is not your world," Aneres began to explain. "But if the date's the same, it's parallel, right? Am I right? Like a parallel Earth where they've got Zeppelins. Am I right? I'm right, aren't I?" Mickey rambled excitedly, gazing at everything with newfound, abundant awe.

"Must be," The Time Lady grumbled, not thrilled by his interruption.

"So, a parallel world where-" Rose started, gliding over to a nearby wall with adverts on it.

"Oh, come on. You've seen it on films. Like an alternative to our world where everything's the same but a little bit different, like, I don't know, traffic lights are blue, Tony Blair never got elected." Rose wasn't listening to Mickey though.

She was engrossed in a particular advert. "And he's still alive," She whispered as her father, her _dead _father, stared at her from a drink poster. "A parallel world and my dad's still alive." Aneres hid her face in her hands, struggling to repress her cruel cackle of laughter. It seemed the universe wanted Rose out of their lives just as much as she did. Why else would it give her the temptation of meeting her dead father again? The Doctor frowned at her disapprovingly.

_"What?! It's a funny twist of fate, that's all,"_ Aneres retorted mentally, glaring at her Tether slightly. before moving forward to help his companion.

"Don't look at it, Rose. Don't even think about it. This is not your world." The blonde woman was having none of it though.

"But he's my dad and-" She was promptly cut off by a slogan erupting from the poster. "Trust me on this." The poster repeated it over and over, Pete Tyler's smile growing more and more false the more the poster repeated itself.

"Well, that's weird," Rose choked out, a small smile growing on her face, "But he's real." Aneres shook her head and moved to stand next to Mickey.

"Are you okay?" She questioned. A few seconds passed before he eventually shook his head no. "Is there someone here that you don't have at home?" Mickey nodded again, trying his best not to fall apart in front of the Time Lady.

"Hey, c'mon, tell me about it," She murmured while leading him to sit on the edge of the pier with her.

TEotOS

On the outskirts of London, Pete Tyler himself pulled into the driveway of his mansion with a bouquet of flowers. "Hello? Sweetheart? Only me," He called out as he entered the house, searching for Jackie.

"Oh, the bad penny," She snapped, storming down the grand staircase, "Was this your idea? Don't deny it. It's got your fingerprints all over it." Pete stared up at her confusedly, feeling another part of his spirit die at the sight of his wife of almost two decades. "Trust me on this. Oh, I can trust you all right. Trust you to cock it up," She jabbered, her arms crossed across her chest.

"What have I done now?" He groaned.

The angry blonde before him merely replied, "Have a look." Pete silently followed his wife into the main drawing room, his soul wilting just a tad. Upon entry, his eyes land on a large banner congratulating Jackie on her 40th birthday.

"What's wrong with that?" Pete asked with a frown. He had thought it was a sweet thing to get, she loved over the top things like that.

"Forty. It says 'forty'," Jackie screeched, her glare intensifying.

"You are forty," Her husband replied slowly, confused about why it should say anything else.

"Well, I don't want the whole world telling, do I?" He rolled his eyes at her perpetually shallow nature. All she cared about now were her looks, her age, and whatever riches she had to display that particular day of the week. How he had stayed married to her would forever remain a mystery.

"You're having a party tonight," Pete pointed out.

"My thirty-ninth. My official biography says I was born on the same day as Cuba Gooding Junior, and that makes me thirty-nine, thank you very much," Jackie ranted, beyond furious, before turning on her heel and yelling, "Rose!"

The pair walked back into the entry hall. "Come here, Rose!" Jackie shouted again, her shrill voice ricocheting off the marble floor of their home.

"These are from the girls in the office. Happy birthday," Pete mumbled, offering her the bouquet that had been kindly assembled for her. Jackie was having none of it though, and pointed out the hand-sculpted arrangements by Veronica of Reykjavik that would be arriving later today.

"And if you're giving out presents, where's my Zeppelin? Everyone else has got one," She continued, fidgeting in place as she continued calling for Rose.

"Look, you didn't even notice, did you? Special delivery. Got sent round today," Jackie pointed out her diamond-encrusted earpieces that largely resembled a Bluetooth device. "Birthday present from Mister Lumic. Latest model. Diamond studded. Pick up signals from Venezuela." Pete frowned.

"Why would you want to pick up signals from Venezuela?" He asked, completely and utterly befuddled.

"Well, I don't know, but now I can find out," Jackie claimed, still anxiously watching the staircase, "For God's sake, where is she? Rose? Oh, she needs a good bath before tonight. She's going to be honking. Rose, come to mummy!" Finally, a small yorkie appeared at the top of the stairs. Jackie grinned and ran up to the petite animal.

"Come on. There you are my darling," She crooned, going up the rest of the stairs to give Rose her bath.

Pete's own earpieces suddenly went off, his phone indicating a call from a Mister Lumic. "Mister Lumic! Jackie was just saying thank you," He greeted, hoping he sounded cheerful despite his wife-induced misery. "That's very kind of you." There was an almost immediate reply from the man on the other end.

"Those ear pods are handmade. Tell her to take care." Pete chuckled at the warning but nodded to himself. "Course I will, course I will. I don't suppose you'd be joining us tonight for the party? We'd be very honoured." His invitation was not well received, however.

"The world below can party. Some of us have work to do," Lumic replied, his tone no less than condescending, "My plans have advanced, Peter. The President has promised a decision. I'm flying in now. We'll be at the airstrip by five o'clock." Pete's face fell at that.

"Right… It's just that I promised I'd help the wife out tonight," He explained tentatively, but to no avail.

"If the President of Great Britain can make this meeting, then so can you," Lumic snapped coldly.

"Oh, I don't know. He's not married to Jackie, is he." Pete's reply might have well have been silent as Lumic pressed on.

"Five o'clock, Mister Tyler. Famous day," He snapped before ending the call. On his airship, the man turned to a monitor.

"Voiceprint access, John Lumic. Initiate ear pod override. Subject Jacqueline Tyler." The woman in question paused as she powdered herself, "Activate," Lumic ordered. Her face went slack as her earpieces extended outwards to connect two rods above her head.

"Download Tyler residence, February the first. Give me security arrangements for tonight. Passwords, encryptions, services," Jackie immediately granted Lumic access being that she was unconscious.

"And restore." Jackie snapped back to life, completely unaware of the interruption and returned to powdering herself.

TEotOS

Mickey and Aneres had long since retreated into the Tardis, despite the Doctor having wanted them to watch over Rose. "I told you to keep an eye on her!" The Time Lady rolled her eyes in disdain.

"We aren't babysitters darling." Mickey nodded at her words. "She's right." The Doctor groaned loudly at the two of them.

"She goes wandering off. Parallel world, it's like a gingerbread house. All those temptations calling out," He rambled, frantically searching the Tardis for some kind of hope of returning home.

"Oh, so it's just Rose, then? Nothing out there to tempt me?" Aneres winced at Mickey's anger at the Doctor, no matter how justified it was.

"Well, I don't know, I can't worry about everything. That's why I have Aneres." Said woman rolled her eyes.

_"So flattering,"_ she grumbled across their connection.

"If I could just get this thing to-" The Doctor kicked the console in his frustration, causing his Tether to jump slightly.

"Did that help?" Mickey snickered. "Yes," The Doctor snapped.

"Did that hurt?" Aneres asked, walking over to take his hands in hers. "Yes. Ow." He was soon cut off by Aneres' lips against his, warm, silky smooth and so tempting.

"Better?" She asked as she pulled away. He nodded, ignoring Mickey's bark of laughter.

Eventually, Mickey managed to calm down and the Doctor was able to explain just how bad this situation really was. "We're not meant to be here. The Tardis draws its power from the universe, but it's the wrong universe. It's like diesel in a petrol engine." Aneres nodded along as she lowered herself down to take a better look at the console and the mechanisms beneath the grilling of the floor.

"But I've seen it in comics. People go hopping from one alternative world to another. It's easy," Mickey thought aloud with a frown. The Time Lady poked her head up from behind the console.

"Not in the real world. It used to be easy," She began explaining while still poking around at the console, "When the Time Lords kept their eye on everything, you could hop between realities, home in time for tea. Then they died, and took it all with them. The walls of reality closed, the worlds were sealed. Everything became that bit less kind." Their male companion's frown deepened as it all started to sink in a tad.

"Then how did we get here?" He asked, staring at Aneres.

"I don't know. Accident? Should've been impossible. Now we're trapped," The Time Lady suddenly gasped, "What's that?" The Doctor crouched next to her, grinning at the sight of a small pulsing green light.

"What?" Mickey asked, slowly creeping over to them.

"That, there. Is that a reflection?" Aneres shook her head at the Doctor and reached out to pick the source of the light up, "It's a light! Is it? Is that a light? I think that's a light."

His Tether broke into a large grin and nodded excitedly, "That's all we need. We've got power! Mickey, we've got power! Ha!" Her cheers caused Mickey to share a smile with the two aliens, a small bit of hope in his heart.

TEotOS

In the slums of London, a lorry arrives in a large encampment of homeless people. "Gentlemen! Gentlemen! I beg your attention. Christmas has come early, so come and get it," A man, Crane, calls out as he exits to open the back of the lorry which is covered in plastic sheeting.

"Oh, smell that, comrades. Burgers and chips. Sausage and beans. Pork, chicken, and hot, sweet tea. All for free." A young man runs into the back of the lorry immediately, years on the streets having already taken their toll on him.

"Don't go," Another man calls out as a man called Morris starts to approach the lorry. "But there's food!" Morris protested, gesturing at the Utopia that awaited him.

"All you can eat, free of charge. Don't just stand there. Fill your faces with pasties and-" Morris licked his lips as Crane continued calling out to him.

"He's lying," The stranger stated, glaring at the businessman over Morris' shoulder.

"It's easy for you to say. When did you last starve?" The stranger groaned at his words.

"All those people disappearing off the streets. It's been going on for months. It's them. They're taking you away," He explained, much to Morris' alarm while Crane just kept listing off food items to the crowd before him.

"What for?" Morris asked, trepidation flickering on his face.

"Experiments." That wall the stranger said, and all that needed to be said at all. Desperation was a tricky thing though, and it had a firm grip on Morris.

"No, I'm so hungry," he whispered before running into the lorry, the stranger videotaping him all the while. Crane eventually closed the lorry door, ignoring the sudden screams that erupted from those within, and drove off without noticing the videographer.

TEotOS

Aneres and the Doctor were still absorbed in the small glowing orb they had managed to pluck from the Tardis mechanisms. "It's alive!" The Time Lady murmured, leaning in to kiss the Doctor's cheek gently. He blushed a dark red and moved to kiss her back, only to be interrupted by Mickey. "What is it?" They slowly stood and turned to face the man with the orb in hand.

"It's nothing. It's tiny. One of those insignificant little power cells that no one ever bothers about, and it's clinging onto life, with one little ounce of reality tucked away inside," The Doctor explained, smiling down at it softly.

Aneres whispered across the connection, _"How foolish of us to think the Tardis would ever die that easily."_ Her Tether chuckled in agreement.

"Enough to get us home?" Mickey asked as he eyes the power cell doubtfully. "Not yet. We need to charge it up." Their companion nodded thoughtfully.

"We could go outside and lash it up to the National Grid," He suggested, eyeing the exit of the Tardis.

"Wrong sort of energy. It's got to come from our universe," Aneres explained slowly, as Mickey shook his head sadly. "But we don't have anything." The Doctor grinned at the two of them.

"There's Aneres and me," He retorted, cupping the power cell between him and the Time Lady. They take a deep breath before slowly exhaling a soft orange glow onto the power cell which immediately brightens. "We just gave away five years of our lives. Worth every second." Unbeknownst to them, Rose was scouring the internet on her phone for any mention of herself or her parents in this miraculous world.

"There you are. You all right? No applause. I fixed it. Twenty four hours, then we're flying back to reality. What is it?" The Doctor rambled as he ran outside to find Rose, Aneres and Mickey trailing behind him slowly.

"My phone connected. There's this Cybus Network. It finds your phone. It gave me Internet access." Their faces fell at that, realizing Rose was already falling down the rabbit hole.

"Rose, whatever it says, this is the wrong world," The Doctor whispered soothingly.

"I don't exist." Aneres raised her eyebrows at that. "What do you mean?" She asked, more bored than anything else and seeing Rose being miserable was a welcome distraction.

"There's no Rose Tyler. I was never born. There's Pete, my dad, and Jackie. He still married mum but they never had kids." The Doctor sighed and reached for her mobile in hopes of preventing her from falling any deeper.

"Give me that phone." Rose stood, holding her phone captive for the moment. "They're rich. They've got a house and cars, and everything they want," She paused, "But they haven't got me. I've got to see him." Aneres shared a look with Mickey, both of them already knowing how this would play out.

"You can't," He snapped. "I just want to see him," She argued.

"He can't let you," Aneres tried to explain, only for Rose to cut her off. "He just said twenty-four hours!"

"You can't become their daughter, that's not the way it works. Mickey, tell her." The Doctor was met with a contemplative silence as Mickey stared at the ground. "Twenty-four hours, yeah?" He asked, turning to stare at the Time Lady, who nodded slowly before he started walking off.

"Where're you going?" The Doctor asked in shock, his mouth dropped open as Aneres followed the human away from them. His hearts constricted in terror at the thought of what could possibly be in this universe, let alone on this planet.

"Well, I can do what I want," Mickey shouted back, secretly quite glad that he had company coming with him. Aneres linked her arms with Mickey's and continued walking. _"Annie I swear, don't you dare let him wander off," _The Doctor growled mentally.

_"Like you're about to let Rose do?" _He tensed at her reply as Rose also piped up with "I've got the address and everything." He shook his head frantically.

"Stay where you are, both of you. Rose, come back here! Mickey, Aneres, come back here right now!" His lip curled into a snarl as all of them kept walking away. Rose couldn't help the hope that bloomed in her chest that the Doctor might come with her to keep her safe.

"Yeah, I've got things to see and all," Mickey snapped over his shoulder, causing the Doctor to frown in confusion.

"Like what?" He asked, garnering a massive eye roll from his Tether.

"Well, you don't know anything about him, do you? It's always about Rose." Aneres yelled back, her eyes alight with exasperation. "Yeah, I'm just a spare part!" Mickey added, his glare intensifying as Rose continued walking, and the Doctor predictably chased after her.

"Go on, then. There's no choice, is there? You can only chase after one of us. It's never going to be me, is it?" Aneres gently turned him away from the Doctor, her heart going out to Mickey the most in this situation. His life, to be frank, kinda sucked at the moment in her opinion and her Tether wasn't exactly helping matters.

"Back here, twenty-four hours!" He shouted as he ran after the blonde woman. "Yeah. If I haven't found something better," Mickey muttered darkly.

The Doctor quickly caught up to the blonde, who decided to explain Mickey's actions to him in hopes the Time Lord would understand. "Mickey's mum just couldn't cope. His dad hung around for a while, but then he just sort of wandered off. He was brought up by his gran. She was such a great woman. God, she used to slap him!"

The Doctor listened intently with a small smile, "And then she died. She tripped and fell down the stairs. It's about five years ago now. I was still in school." His smile fell. "I never knew." Rose flushed with embarrassment at that. "Well, you never asked." And that was true, he hadn't.

_"I did, just so we're clear on who currently has the high ground."_ He winced at Aneres' angry thoughts, knowing she hated the way he treated the man. "That's Mickey. I suppose I, we just take him for granted," Rose whispered, "Do you think she's still alive, his gran?" The Time Lord shrugged, truly not knowing.

"Could be. Like I said, parallel world, gingerbread house. We need to get out of here as fast as we can." His words stopped short though as every pedestrian, even the policemen patrolling the street halted in their tracks.

"What're they all doing?" Rose asked with a twinge of fear as she gravitated to the Doctor's side. Her skin tingles at their closeness, erupting in goosebumps that delighted her so much she could barely register what the Time Lord was saying.

"They've stopped," He murmured while inspecting the people, noting the flickering lights on the earbuds. "It's the earpieces. Like Bluetooth attachments, but everyone's connected together." Rose tilted her head at his explanation, now seeing the devices before being distracted by her mobile beeping.

"It's on my phone. It's automatic, look. It's downloading. Is this what they're all getting? News, international news, sports, weather," Rose listed, "TV schedules, lottery numbers." The Time Lord shuddered at the whole affair.

"Everyone shares the same information. A daily download published by Cybus Industries." His unease grew as everyone laughed simultaneously at the Joke download. "You lot, you're obsessed. You'd do anything for the latest upgrade." Rose glared at him indignantly.

"Oi, not my lot. Different world, remember." The Time Lord rolled his eyes yet again. "It's not so far off your world. This place is only parallel. Oh, look at that. Cybus Industries, owners of just about every company in Britain, including Vitex," He pointed out, much to Rose's chagrin.

"Mister Pete Tyler's very well connected. Oh, okay. I give up. Let's go and see him." Her grimace changed to a blinding smile as she once again got what she wanted. _"I hope you can see your companion for the spoilt toddler she is, and learn to curb her monstrous temper before this all goes wrong," _Aneres whispered, having heard the whole conversation and hoping her Tether was not about to be a colossal idiot.

**Okay I swear I didn't mean to write another chapter, I just got distracted for… a few hours… *sweats nervously* Hopefully, you enjoyed anyways! I love it when I get such positive feedback from you delightful readers, it truly does make my day 100000000000000000000000000000000000% better. If you can, I'd love to hear from you guys again in a review and hope to post again soon!**


	17. Rise of the Cybermen: The Battle Begins

Aneres continued walking with Mickey through London, looking up at the zeppelins idly until the man beside her spoke. "I'm surprised there wasn't anyone you wanted to find." The Time Lady sighed.

"I have no one to find because I know that if I found them, I would be miserable," She explained sadly, staring down at the pavement as opposed to the sky. Mickey stared at her in confusion.

"Wouldn't you want to find your family?" Aneres hook her head no at his question. "The family here wouldn't be the one I raised. Close, but not quite." His eyes widened at that response. "You have kids?"

"Had. They died." Mickey winced at her response and clamped his mouth shut. The Time Lady peeked at him from the corner of her eye. "You can ask about them if you want, it's easier than it used to be to talk about them. It'd also be nice for you to know more about me," Aneres pointed out nonchalantly.

"What were their names?" Mickey asked after several moments of silence. "My daughters were Anahita and Zephyrine, and my sons were Jahan and Ignatius." He smiled at the maternal pride in her words, she had clearly loved her children very much.

"Were those the names they chose?" Aneres nodded in response. "My sister and I both picked an official title and a name to go by, and my children followed that example by just picking a name to go by." Mickey gaped at the mention of a sister.

"And what was your sister's name?" He asked. "The Inferno, or Vesta." Aneres' reply was soon dull in comparison the sight before them. Police troops were lining the sidewalks and barricading certain parts of the city as if the inhabitants were animals. Thankfully they had gotten there ahead of curfew and were able to slip into the neighborhood to walk to Mickey's childhood home. When they arrived, Aneres knocked on the door to give Mickey a moment to collect his courage.

"Who's that there?" Rita-Anne Smith called out as she opened the door, her seeing stick brandished out in front of her. "Who is it? I know you're there," She mumbled sternly, glaring directly as her parallel grandson. "Shame on you, tricking an old lady. I've got nothing worth stealing. And don't think I'm going to disappear! You're not going to take me." Aneres watched as Mickey steeled himself and finally addressed his long lost family.

"Hi," He finally choked out, taking a couple steps closer to her. Rita's eyes widened a fraction despite being hidden by tick, dark sunglasses. "Is that you?"

"It's me. I came home," Mickey whispered, trying to hold back tears as he surveyed the woman. Aneres leaned in and rubbed his back soothingly, knowing how hard it could be to face family after a long time apart. She had experienced it herself when her youngest daughter reappeared after thirty years of silence from her, and while it had been more than terrifying for the both of them, it was also amazing and so terribly needed. Aneres shook her head suddenly, banishing those thoughts for the moment. Mentioning her children different from thinking about them, remembering them. The pain in her hearts for her children increased tenfold and she began to regret thinking of them.

"_Remembering them isn't shameful," _She reminded herself, thinking about her Tether and his pain at their loss, _"We loved our children more than anyone ever did or could, and their deaths left a piece of our hearts torn to shreds. Feeling that pain should be embraced, not ignored."_ Aneres sighed softly, struggling to control her raging emotions. She focused her attention back to Mickey and Rita, hoping it might help.

"I know my own grandson's name. It's Ricky," the elderly woman snapped at Mickey, who winced at the reminder that she was a parallel, not his old gran. "Now, come here." How could he remember that though when her arms around him soothed his soul just as well? When her perfume was exactly the same?

"Okay, I'm Ricky. Of course I am. Ricky, that's me," He whispered, burying his face in her hair. At least, until she jerked away to start thwapping him with her cane repeatedly. "Ow!" Aneres bit her lip to repress a giggle at Mickey's shout, admiring the elderly woman before her. Clearly she had plenty of fight left in her.

"You stupid boy. Where have you been?" Rita screeched, her smacks growing in strength despite Mickey's loud protests. "It's been days and days! I keep hearing all these stories. People disappearing off the streets. There's nothing official on the download but there're all these rumours, and, and whispers. I thought that God had disappeared you!" Mickey sighed out in relief as she finally stopped hitting him, until his eyes landed on a bit of raised carpet on the stairs.

"That carpet on the stairs, I told you to get it fixed. You're going to fall and break your neck," He choked out, fresh tears welling in his eyes at that painful reminder. And in that moment, Aneres realized that she and Mickey were more alike than she thought. He blamed himself for the death of his loved one, just as she did, but he was far stronger. Mickey had still gone on and lived his life to the fullest despite Rita's death and Rose's abuse weighing on him like a ball and chain.

"Well, you get it fixed for me," Rita suggested, just wanting her grandson to stay safe and preferably off the streets. "I should have done way back. I guess I'm just kind of useless." Rita scowled at Mickey's words and thwacked him again with the cane. "Now, I never said that," She whispered slowly.

"I am, though. And I'm sorry, gran. I'm so sorry," Mickey sobbed out, clutching his gran even closer to him. Aneres smiled sadly at the display, knowing this closure was exactly what Mickey needed all these years after blaming himself for her death.  
"Don't talk like that. Do you know what you need? A nice sit down and a cup of tea. You got time?" Mickey smiled sadly, but seemed hesitant to enter. He turned to look at Aneres, who smiled at him encouragingly.

"For you, I've got all the time in the world," Mickey replied, "But, do you mind if my mate joins us?" The Time Lady gaped at him, totally unprepared for that request. "Oh, which one?" He smiled at his gran and tugged Aneres forward.

"This is my friend Annie," He introduced, "I met her through a local Doctor I was helping out." Aneres rolled her eyes but smiled at Rita. "Nice to meet you ma'am," She said, shaking her hand firmly. "You as well dear," The elderly woman replied before fixing her unseeing eyes back on Mickey.

"And you, you say you have time, but it's all talk." Aneres frowned at the woman's words. "It's those new friends of yours. I don't trust them." Mickey joined Aneres in her frown, utterly confused.

"What friends are they?" He asked slowly. "Don't pretend you don't know. You've been seeing them. Missus Chan told me. Driving about all helter skelter in that van." Now he was _really_ confused. "What van's that, then?" He asked, hoping to learn more about his parallel self. Well, at least enough to pose as him for a little while. Rita paled as said van whipped around the corner, going way over the speed limit, and parked just in front of her home.

"Get inside," She snapped, reaching for Mickey but only finding the soft fabric of Aneres' sweater beneath her hand. The stranger from the homeless community lept from the van, grabbing Mickey and Aneres off the front steps. _"THETA!" _She screeched mentally, not taking well to being manhandled.

"I've been looking for you everywhere!" He shouted while shoving them into the back of the van.

"Ricky! Ricky!" Rita screeched, terror once again washing over her mind, body and soul as she heard the van zip away with her grandson and his friend inside.

Aneres glared daggers at the stranger, who had introduced himself to her as Jake. "Ricky, you were the one who told us you don't contact your family because it puts them in danger," He berated Mickey, barely sparing the Time Lady a second glance.

"Yeah. Ricky said that. Course I did, just testing," Mickey floundered, staring helplessly at the Gallifreyan next to him. She however, was trying to calm her Tether down after her rather loud mental shriek.

"I saw them. I taped them," Jake started rambling, "They went round Blackfriars gathering up the homeless like the child catcher. They must've took four dozen." Mickey frowned at Jake before the female driver piped up.

"The vans were hired out to a company called International Electromatics. But I did a protocol search," Aneres finally tuned in to the conversation, only to have her body thrown against the wall of the van as they took a harsh turn. She winced as the driver continued. "Turns out that's a dummy company established by guess who?"

"I don't know. Who?" Mickey asked, thoroughly confused. "Cybus Industries!" The two humans shouted as their faces lit up like a sign for a strip club. "Well, now we've got evidence," Jake continued.

"Bad news is, they've arrested Thin Jimmy. So that just leaves you," The blonde woman added on, a sad smile on her face as she turned to look at Mickey. "Leaves me what?" The man in question asked warily, Aneres not liking the sound of any of this.

"The Number One. Top of the list. London's Most Wanted," Jake drawled, grinning at his best mate, who nodded. "Okay, cool." Aneres' eyes bugged out as she actually took a second to think over that sentence. "Say that again?" Mickey asked, comprehending it a few seconds too late. "He's who?!" Aneres choked out, fear filling her for the safety of her companion.

TEotOS

The Doctor frowned as Aneres' side of their connection suddenly went dead, just after she assured him that her scream was a false alarm. Cutting a connection like that never meant anything good, and the thought of his Tether in danger twisted his hearts into a bitter pretzel of fear. However, a stretch limo zipped past him and Rose a few seconds later and distracted him enough for the moment. "They've got visitors," He commented.

"February the first. Mum's birthday," Rose explained with a gentle smile as she watched people arrive at a massive mansion. "Even in a parallel universe, she still loves a party." The Doctor frowned at the reminder of Jackie's shallow and annoying tendencies.

"Well, given Pete Tyler's guest list, I wouldn't mind a look," He decided with a slight shrug. "And there is one guaranteed way of getting inside." Rose beamed at the sight of a particular folded object.

"Psychic paper," She cheered happily. "Who do you want to be?" The Doctor asked as they continued onwards to the house.

A few minutes later found the Doctor and Rose carrying trays of canapes around the room that was filled with celebrities and politicians galore. "We could have been anyone," Rose grumbled as she struggled to hold the tray upright. It had been the downfall of her career as a waitress in secondary school, she had little to no talent in balancing things.

"Got us in, didn't it?" The Doctor snipped back, praying that her attitude would diminish soon. Yes, he hadn't gotten them in as celebrities but tht was fr a very good reason. He didn't want to go to the party with Rose as a couple because that was his and Aneres' thing. Back in the old days he would come home from certain trips Aneres might have missed and immediately ask her to a ball with a bouquet of lilies. He never wanted to associate going to a party with anyone else, especially not Rose.

"You're in charge of the psychic paper. We could've been guests. Celebrities," The woman in question continued to vent, glowering at the Time Lord. "Sir Doctor, Dame Rose. We end up serving. Did enough of this back home."

"If you want to know what's going on, work in the kitchens," The Doctor pointed out, "According to Lucy, that man over there-" Rose cut him off.

"Who's Lucy?" The Time Lord rolled his eyes at her quick rise to jealousy, even though he was in fact already taken. _"If you're going to pay attention to anyone, it'd better be me"_ Rose thought to herself with a snarl.

"She's carrying the salmon pinwheels," The Doctor commented offhandedly as he poked at Aneres' mental shields again. He frowned as they continued to stay up, effectively silencing herself.

"Oh, that's Lucy, is it?" The Doctor barely registered Rose's question, and only managed to reply with, "Yeah. Lucy says, that is the President of Great Britain." Rose frowned at that, and looked at the black man across the room. "What, there's a President, not a Prime Minister?"

"Seems so," The Doctor replied, still not paying a lot of attention to Rose as they wove in and out of the crowd. "Or maybe Lucy's just a bit thick," Rose whispered before Pete Tyler stood on the staircase to acknowledge the crowd.

"Excuse me! Thank you very much. Thank you if I could just have your attention, please?" Everyone turned to stare at the man, a smile upon most of their faces. "Pete! Go on, Pete!" A man called out from somewhere in the crowd, followed by several others. As their shouts became a tad bit vulgar, Pete commandeered his address again.

"Um, I'd just like to say thank you to you all, for coming on this, this very special occasion. My wife's thirty ninth," He said, a gentle smile on his face for his spouse. Pete chuckled as someone shouted out, "Don't believe that one." He put his thumb up and said with a beam, "Trust me on this." The crowd giggled in delight, and Rose smiled a tad at the man. "And so, without any further ado, here she is, the birthday girl. My lovely wife, Jackie Tyler."  
Jackie Tyler herself appeared on the staircase, flouncing down the steps with a bright grin and a tight black dress on. "Now, I'm not giving a speech," She began when she reached Pete, "That's what my parties are famous for. No work, no politics, just a few good mates and plenty of black market whisky." She winked at the President at the base of the steps, "Pardon me, Mister President. So, yeah, get on with it. Enjoy, enjoy." No one noticed the pained look on Rose's face and the complete detachment on the Doctor's.

"You can't stay. Even if there was some way of telling them," The Doctor whispered to her, not about to let her do stupid without at least warning her against it.

"Course I can't. I've still got Mum at home. My real mum. I couldn't just leave her, could I?" Rose rationalized, trying to keep her cool. "It's just, they've got each other. Mum's got no one." The Doctor shook his head at her words.

"She's got you. Those two haven't," Rose smiled gratefully at the man, trying to focus on his words instead of her non-parents. "All these different worlds, not one of them gets it right." It was at that moment that Jackie called for her unfortunately named canine.

"Rose!" The companion whirled around, terrified she had misread their information on the internet and there _was_ another her. "There's my little girl!" Jackie cooed as her fluffy dog ran at her, the sight immediately disgusting human Rose. "Come to mummy, come to mummy!" The Doctor held his breath, trying so very hard not to laugh his arse off. "Yes, good girl! Good girl, aren't you?" He looked over at his companion, the rather perturbed look on her face sending him into a round of giggles.

"Sorry," He whispered, catching sight of Rose's face.

TEotOS

Aneres took deep breaths, but struggled due to the gag that had been forced into her mouth a short while ago. Damn their luck. Of course they had to run into the actual Ricky and get caught. She watched as Mickey was scanned by Jake and Mrs Moore, the blonde woman from before, while Ricky watched her to make sure no funny business started up.

"He's clean. No bugs," Jake finally announced. Aneres sighed in relief, while Ricky just gaped at them. "But this is off the scale. He's flesh and blood. How did that happen?"

"Well, it could be that Cybus Industries have perfected the science of human cloning," Mrs Moore started, grinning as Jake and Ricky paled, "or your father had a bike." Ricky rolled his eyes at her, scowling as he moved to stand in front of his 'clone'.

"And your name is Mickey, not Ricky?" He asked, triple checking the facts. Mickey nodded, "Mickey. Dad was Jackson Smith. Used to work at the key cutters in Clifton's Parade. Went to Spain, never came back." Aneres' heart went out to Mickey, aching at the idea of little Mickey being abandoned.

"But that's my dad," ricky whispered, turning to Jake. "So, we're brothers?" He asked, gesturing between Mickey and himself. "Be fair. What else could it be?" Ricky nodded at that until remembered the other guest they found. "Now, who's the bird?"

Mickey scowled at Ricky's mention of Aneres. "My friend, who I'm sure would appreciate being released." The Time Lady nodded frantically, wiggling against her restraints. "Hmm." Ricky moved away to talk to Jake.

"I don't know. But he doesn't just look like me, he is exactly the same. There's something else going on here, Jake," He whispered, his best friend nodding in agreement. "I bet he'll tell us more if we release the lady." Ricky groaned before undoing Aneres' restraints and allowing her to run over to Mickey.

"So, who are you lot?" He asked, incredibly relieved that Aneres was at least free. Ricky, Jake, and Mrs Moore grinned at the pair of them.

"We? We are the Preachers. As in Gospel Truth," Ricky started, pointing to his ears, "You see? No ear plugs." Mickey and Aneres noted the difference, frowning at the significance. "While the rest of the world downloads from Cybus Industries, we, we have got freedom. You're talking to London's Most Wanted," Ricky beamed with pride at his words, "but target Number One is Lumic, and we are going to bring him down." Mickey raised an eyebrow.

"From your kitchen?" Aneres struggled to hold back a tiny giggle at his response. "Have you got a problem with that?" They shook their heads at Ricky, hoping they hadn't snipped at him to badly.

"No, it's a good kitchen," Mickey amended. Aneres pointed out, "You helped get the better of some aliens from Rose's kitchen last Christmas didn't you?" He stared at the Time Lady in shock. "How'd you know about that?" He asked. Aneres merely smiled while Mrs Moore sprinted over to a computer that had started beeping loudly.

"It's an upload from Gemini," She breathed out, delighted. Ricky and Jake ran over to tune in. "Who's Gemini?" Mickey asked while Aneres started undoing his restraints.

"The vans are back. They're moving out of Battersea," Moore continued, pointing at the monitor with a frown on her face, "Looks like Gemini was right. Lumic's finally making a move." Ricky smirked just as Mickey stood from his captivity chair.

"And we are right behind him," Ricky turned to the two of them and tossed them a gun from a nearby table, "Pack up, we're leaving." Aneres stared down at the weapon in her hands, feeling a cold weight settle over her hearts.

TEotOS

Rose stood alone at the party, the Doctor having run off yet again, only to be approached by her dead father. Well, his parallel. "I remember her twenty first. Pint of cider in the George," Pete commented, smiling at her gently. She smiled back.

"Sorry. Champagne?" Rose asked, offering a flute to Pete. He hesitated for a second before shrugging. "Oh, might as well. I'm paying for it."

"It's a big night for you," She murmured, watching the party continue outside their little bubble. "For her. Still, she's happy," Pete snipped, taking a generous swig of the champagne. "She should be. It's a great party," Rose replied with a smile. Pete raised an eyebrow.

"Do you think?" He asked, truly second guessing himself and everything he had done to make this go right for Jackie. "You can trust me," Rose whispered conspiratorially. "You can trust me _on this_," Pete corrected, his lips forming a tentative smile.

"That's it, sorry," Rose nodded, "So, how long have you two been married?" He shrugged at that. "Twenty years." She frowned at his dismissive tone towards Jackie. "And no kids, or?" Rose gently pried, hoping for more details.

"We kept putting it off. She said she didn't want to spoil her figure," Pete explained, sighing at the wasted years that could have been filled with gorgeous, lovable children. "It's not too late. She's only forty," Rose mentioned. "Thirty nine." She winced at the correction.

"Oh, right. Thirty nine." Pete sighed again, downing the rest of his champagne flute. "It's still too late. I moved out last month, but we're going to keep it quiet. You know, it's bad for business," He frowned mid-ramble, "Why am I telling you all this? We haven't met before, have we?" Rose shook her head, no. "I don't know, you just seem sort of…"

"What?" Rose asked as he trailed off. "I don't know. Just sort of right." Pete was soon distracted though, "Stevie! How's things? How's it going at Torchwood?" Soon, she was faced with the back of her parallel father as he left her alone once again. Rose sighed and made her way outside to the patio, where she saw her.. Mother… sitting down for a moment.

"Missis Tyler, is there anything I can get you?" She called out, walking over to the lady of the house. "The last twenty years back," Jackie sighed, causing Rose to frown once again.

"I can manage a glass of champagne or a nice cup of tea?" She asked, slowly moving to sit next to Jackie. "Oh, that'd do me." Rose smiled at parallel Jackie's love for tea. Seems there were always some similarities in these parallels.

"My mum loves that. End of a long night she never goes straight to bed, she always stays up just to have that last cup of tea." Jackie smiled at the other blonde. "Oh, I'm the same." Rose leaned in and added on, "Two sugars." Jackie nodded.

"And me. Pete always says, you know…" SHe trailed off, much to Rose's sadness. "Ah, never mind him." The younger blonde took a deep breath and a chance.

"I was talking to him earlier. He's a nice man. You know, bit of a Jack the Lad, I suppose, even if he has got money," Jackie chuckled slightly, "but he's a good bloke. Better than most. He's worth a second chance." All traces of laughter vanished from Jackie's face and were replaced with a deep rage fueled by hurt and anger, with a tad of alcohol.

"Are you commenting on my marriage?" She snapped, glaring at Rose harshly. "No, I was just-" Jackie cut Rose off, her lips curled into a snarl. "Who the hell do you think you are? You're staff. You're nothing but staff. You're just the serving girl, for God's sake. And you are certainly not getting paid. Don't you dare talk to me." Rose watched in horror as Jackie rushed back inside, feeling tears sting her eyes at the harsh words from her own mother. Well, a woman who looked like her mother. However, she was soon distracted as flood lights switched on to backlight several rows of marching figures. She turned to see the Doctor running towards her, and joined her at the window.

"It's happening again," He choked out, still trying to crack open Aneres' mental shield to warn her. If anything happened to her… he would never forgive himself.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked, watching the marching figures in terror. "I've seen them before." Her eyes widened at that. "What are they?" She breathed, shaking now.

"Cybermen." The President walked past the Time Lord and his human companion to answer the phone, praying to God that those weren't what he thought they were. "Mister Lumic," He snarled into the phone.

"Mister President. I suppose a remark about crashing the party would be appropriate at this point," Lumic replied, his voice mocking. The politician slumped slightly as his fears were confirmed.

"I forbade this." Lumic rolled his eyes at the President's words. "These are my children, sir. Would you deny my family?" The latter ran his hand across his forehead before growling, "Who were these people?" The response was… lacking detail, empathy, any emotion it's words.

"Doesn't matter," Lumic drawled.

"They're people?" Rose asked, staring up at the Doctor as he explained the creatures to her.

"They were, until they had all their humanity taken away. That's a living brain jammed inside a cybernetic body, with a heart of steel. All emotions removed." His hearts were beating a million miles an hour in terror, yet also shattering into a billion pieces at the suffering those creatures endured to be created.

"Why no emotions?" Rose asked, not sure if she actually wanted to know. "Because it hurts." Her eyes closed at that, a tear slipping out in pity.

"I demand to know, Lumic. These people, who were they?" The President demanded once again. "They were homeless, and wretched and useless. Until I saved them, and elevated them, and gave them life eternal." The President glared at the phone as Lumic spoke, "And now I leave you in their capable hands. Goodnight, sir." The call ended at that moment, hiding Lumic from the President for the moment as the Cybermen entered the drawing room.

TEotOS

Aneres silently kept her gun trained on the Cybermen, hoping one would turn so she could take out its eyes. "Do you actually know how to fire this?" Mickey asked slowly, concern bubbling in him. The Time Lady merely nodded and readied herself for fire. If she managed to hit the eyes, it wouldn't stop them but it would give people an advantage. Mickey sighed and grabbed his gun from beside him and mimicked her form as best he could.

TEotOS

"We have been upgraded," A cyberman stated, staring at the crowd imposingly. "Into what?" The Doctor demanded.

"The next level of mankind. We are Human point two. Every citizen will receive a free upgrade. You will become like us." The President shook his head in complete despair. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what's been done to you, but listen to me. This experiment ends tonight."

The Doctor winced as the cyberman continued, "Upgrading is compulsory." The President didn't back down though. "And if I refuse?"

"Don't." The President ignored the Doctor. "What if I refuse?" He asked again. "I'm telling you, don't." Again, the Time Lord was ignored. "What happens if I refuse?" Finally the President received a response from the creatures before him.

"Then you are not compatible." The President frowned at the metal man. "What happens then?" The cyberman merely replied, "You will be deleted." In a split second he lunged forward to grab the President's neck, immediately electrocuting him. Screams erupted, and everyone began running in different directions. Their blood pounded in their ears, they gasped for air.

Aneres heard the screams and started shooting the eyes of Cybermen, grinning as they stumbled around in confusion. "Hit the eyes! It won't stop them, but you can get some decent damage in," she shouted at the others. Jake and Ricky immediately followed suit, but Mickey didn't move a muscle. He simply watched as Aneres picked off Cybermen's vision, one robot at a time.

"There's nothing we can do!" The Doctor shouted, ducking to avoid the gunfire that had started at the start of the chaos. Rose tried to twist away from him and back towards the house, her voice a manic scream.

"My mum's in there!" The Time Lord snarled and continued pulling her away. "She is not your mother! Come on!" They continued running across the lawn, only to be blocked by a row of Cybermen. The Doctor struggled to turn and run to the side of the house, his terror mounting as more bullets ricocheted from God knows where.

"Quick! Quick!" Rose shouted as they ran into Pete, who quickly joined them in fleeing the robots. "Pete, is there a way out?"The Doctor demanded, forcing himself to run a little faster.

"The side gates. Who are you? How do you know so much?" The Time Lord ignored Pete as they ran into another row of Cybermen. His eyes widened as two armed figures came running across the lawn in front of the floodlights, their machine guns firing at the Cybermen. He quickly noted they were trying to take out the eyes, the only place they might be able to damage.

"Who's that?" Rose shouted, barely getting a good look at them as they shielded her, the Doctor and Pete. "Get behind me!" Ricky shouted before opening fire on the Cybermen with Jake. Several of the Cybermen halt as their eyes are effectively damaged, until eventually all of them stop. Finally, Rose manages to get a good look at Ricky's face after he ceases fire.

"Oh my God, look at you," She whispered, lunging forward to hug him tightly. "I thought I'd never see you again!" Ricky raised an eyebrow at the rather pug-faced girl that had latched onto him.

"Yeah. No offence, sweetheart, but who the hell are you?" Suddenly more shots rang out, deafening the small crowd as they turned to see Aneres walking towards them with a machine gun in hand. The Doctor paled at the sight, flashbacks of when he had seen her on the battlefield coming back in full strength. He started to run forward, hoping to stop her, only for Mickey to beat her to it. He ripped the gun away and held her tightly, hoping it would calm the Time Lady down enough.

"Rose! That's not me. That's like the other one," He called out, raising an eyebrow at the blonde who was still currently draped across his parallel self. She quickly jumped away from Ricky, just as Mickey released Aneres and guided her over to the rest of them. "Oh, as if things weren't bad enough, there's two Mickey's," The Doctor muttered angrily as he wrapped his arms around his Tether tightly. Finally, for the first time that night, he managed to get past her mental shields only to almost faint at the sight within her fortress.

It was the fields behind their home, only instead of orange grass swaying in the wind he saw his great grandchildren, the last survivors of his family aside from Aneres, get gunned down in front of his Tether. He heard her screams echo as she tried to get to them, tried to protect them in her final moments. However, the Daleks turned on her and started chasing her across the plains. Her lungs burned for air, her ebony locks rushed in the breeze as she fled as quickly as she could. He heard her screaming for him, for anyone, anyone to help her. Then, she found the Untempered Schism in it's horrifying glory a few hundred yards away. He felt her fear turn to resignation as she ran towards it and blindly lept into the Time Vortex, the Time War raging behind her.

Aneres suddenly came to, snapping out of her mental reverie just as the Doctor resurfaced from her mind. His eyes were glazed over, barely comprehending anything outside of her and what he had just witnessed. Only a Cyberman's words snapped him out of it, forced him to reconcile what he had just experienced with what he needed to protect Aneres from now. "You are rogue elements," It said blandly.

"We surrender." Aneres looked up at her Tether, and nearly burst into tears at the mix of defeat, fear, and hatred that boiled behind his chocolate orbs. "You are incompatible," The Cyberman replied. The Time Lady took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

"But this is a surrender," The Doctor repeated, sounding slightly more alive. His Tether paled as he began to morph into the Oncoming Storm before her eyes. This was a side of him that she had seen before, in fact she had fed its hunger for violence with her own vengeful desires multiple times. But, she couldn't let him fall down that path, not when they needed the Doctor.

"You will be deleted," The Cyberman repeated. Aneres pushed the Doctor behind her. "We will not! We have surrendered, you must process us!" Her shouts mildly startled the Cybermen, and gave them pause.

"You are inferior. Man will be reborn as Cyberman, but you will perish under maximum deletion," They eventually replied. Aneres paled and gripped the Doctor's arm tightly as she once again found herself staring death in the face.

"Delete. Delete. Delete!" The Cybermen chanted repeatedly.

**Hey everyone! As you may have noticed if you went back to read earlier chapters, I did change my formatting style to ease the reading experience. This hopefully will make it better, and if it does not then let me know and I will not continue it. On another note, I got my fifth piercing, it hurts a lot XD, and I got accepted into a university! I haven't committed to one yet, still waiting for another decision, but I'm feeling a lot less stressed. **

**Anyways, I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter, I enjoyed writing it. If you have any questions, comments or concerns just let me know and I will do my best to address them! Have an awesome day, thank you again!**


	18. The Age of Steel: Mindless Killers

Aneres watched as the Cybermen continued to encroach, the sounds around her beginning to fade as she entered the fog of battle once again. Turning, she grabbed the power cell from the Doctor's coat pocket and blasted it at the Cybermen. The creatures immediately vaporized into golden dust, a small grin coming to Aneres face.

"What the hell was that?" Ricky demanded, whirling on the Time Lady. She didn't answer though, and merely grabbed her machine gun back before running off with the Doctor's hand in hers. Rose snarled at the sight and ran after them, panting from the exertion. Aneres however, was calm as a cucumber despite the heavy weight of her firearm across her body. Eventually they reached Mrs Moore's van and clambered inside, with Aneres opening fire on any Cybermen that had decided to follow them.

"I've got to go back. My wife's in there," Pete shouted, about to turn back towards the house.

"Take another step and I shoot!" Aneres screeched with her gun turned to him. Rose gaped at the Time Lady, as did Mickey. Ricky and Jake however, agreed with her and turned their weapons on the man. The Doctor remained notably silent, his eyes watching Aneres intently.

"But-But," Pete stammered, leaning away from the threatening guns.

"I'm not joking Mr Tyler. Take another step and you'll put us in far more danger, and I'm not about to let that happen." He gaped at the Time Lady like a dead fish.

"Anyone inside that house is dead. If you want to help, then don't let her die for nothing," The Doctor finally sighed out, while staring at the floor. It was taking everything in him not to release the Oncoming Storm on each and every one of them. "You've got to come with us right now."

"But that's my wife in there!" Pete bellowed, sneering at the Doctor as rage pumped through his veins.

"And your actions are currently threatening mine!" The Doctor snarled, glaring at the human man while he moved to stand behind Aneres protectively. He took deep breaths, trying to calm down as best he could. The Time Lady slowly lowered her weapon to turn and hug him tightly, while Ricky and Jake kept their guns trained on the man.

"Lower them, boys," Aneres ordered calmly as she ran her fingers through the Doctor's hair. The two humans obeyed instantly, causing Mickey's eyes to widen even more. Only a few hours ago, Ricky had been the leader of the Preachers. Now it looked like the Time Lady had taken that role and was running to the hills with it.

Pete looked at all of them, his eyes full of a plea that would never be answered if the Time Lords has anything to say about it. They hated to deny the man, but the only focus they had now was each other's safety. The Tether was in full bloom, blacking out anyone that wasn't themselves or their children, of which they had none now.

"Rose, she's not your mother," The Doctor murmured, noticing Rose's desire to help her parallel father. Aneres glared at the girl, daring her to leap from the van to help Pete. Rose looked back at the ground, knowing that Aneres would have no qualms in shooting them in order to protect the others. It hurt more though, to see that the Doctor seemed fine with her doing so in that moment.

"I know," She slowly coughed out, wiping her eyes quickly. Aneres nodded before turning to grab Pete by the shoulder. He winced as she pushed him into the van before closing the door. Ricky slowly opened the windows in the back doors and poked the barrel of his gun out of it just in case. "Good man, Ricky," Aneres complimented before continuing to soothe her Tether.

"Finished chatting? Never seen a slower getaway in my life!" Mrs Moore snapped angrily, her eyes afire at the sight of Pete Tyler in the van. They sped off into the night, trying to block out the sound of the Cybermen continuing to march on the Tyler mansion and much of the surrounding area.

After a long while, Ricky turned away from the window to stare at the Doctor and Aneres. "What was that?" He asked, pointing at the power cell in the Doctor's pocket.

"Little bit of technology from my home," The Doctor rasped out. His mind was still pulsating with adrenaline as he clutched his Tether to his body like a child with his beloved teddy bear. _"I'm not a teddy bear,"_ Aneres pouted mentally. The Doctor chuckled at that, a small smile appearing on both of their faces at the sound.

"It's stopped glowing. Has it run out?" Mickey asked, finally calmed down enough to feel comfortable addressing the two Time Lords. The Doctor shook his head.

"It's on a revitalising loop. It'll charge back up in about four hours." Aneres nodded along with his explanation while slowly untangling herself from the Doctor to get in a more comfortable position.

"Right. So, we don't have a weapon anymore," Ricky pointed out, turning back to the window. Jake suddenly perked up with a dark grin.

"Yeah, we've got weapons. Might not be one of those metal things, but they're good enough for men like him," He pondered, turning his gaze back on Pete who quicky paled. Aneres sighed at his words, despite agreeing with them a little. If it weren't for Rose wanting to meet her father, they wouldn't have been caught up in this whole mess in the first place. Especially since Pete seemed to be quite entrenched in this bit of nasty business.

"Leave him alone. What's he done wrong?" Rose whined, trying to support her father as best she could. Pete gaped at her in shock, while Aneres merely rolled her eyes and winced at the same time at the sound of Rose's voice. God, you could bring down a whole empire just by making them listen to her voice for a few minutes. The Doctor frowned at her thoughts, starting to come back to his normal self.

"Oh, you know, just laid a trap that's wiped out the Government and left Lumic in charge," Jake drawled with a sneer. Rose pouted at his words, far too in love with the fantasy of _parallel_ Pete Tyler being her father.

"If I was part of all that, do you think I'd leave my wife inside?" Pete snapped. His heart pumped his body full with potent fury, his skin was practically smoking with the fire it formed deep within him, a fire he so badly wanted to burn the ebony-haired woman with.

"Lots of men can be unhappy with their wives, especially if they might have to share their wealth with them," Aneres pointed out with a nonchalant grin. Rose squeaked in outrage.

"How dare you?!" The Time Lady rolled her eyes and started to reply, until she saw her Tether's face. Pain was clearly visible, mottling the Doctor's face like leprosy, and making her close her mouth in shame. Her remarks might be helpful to her, but she was not about to continue if it caused him pain. Rose smirked at the Time Lady's silence until Ricky piped up.

"Maybe your plan went wrong," He turned away from the window to raise an eyebrow at Pete, "Still gives us the right to execute you, though." The Doctor finally came to at that point, the Oncoming Storm long gone.

"Talk about executions, you'll make me your enemy. And take some really good advice," Ricky and Jake rolled their eyes, "You don't want to do that." The Doctors frowned at the humans.

"Yeah, no offense man, but that would be a hell of a lot scarier coming from your wife there," Jake said coolly, grinning at the Time Lady. Aneres forced a smile back despite the Doctor's disdain. She had never been one to wilt away from violence and she was pretty good at commanding it. Granted, that was how she was raised. Her father would never have let her or her sister go to the Academy not knowing how to fight somewhat competently. After that, she learned the rest from the War.

"All the same, we have evidence that says Pete Tyler's been working for Lumic since twenty point five," Ricky added while withdrawing his weapon from the window and closing it. Rose rounded on Pete, her eyes wide.

"Is that true?" Pete winced at her demand, his eyes filmed with guilt. The blonde gaped at him before shaking her head and trying to stay on his side.

"Tell them, Mrs M," Ricky ordered with a grin, causing everyone to look over at their driver. She grinned smugly at them through the rear view mirror.

"We've got a government mole who feeds us information. Lumic's private files, his South American operations, the lot," Aneres' eyes widened, remembering the broadcast that had spurred their move to the Tyler residence. "Secret broadcasts twice a week." Pete looked up, looking slightly better for wear.

"Broadcast from Gemini?" Ricky glared at the balding man. "And how do you know that?" Pete rolled his eyes.

"I'm Gemini. That's me," Pete declared, only to frown at the collective eye roll he received in response from Aneres and the Preachers. The Doctor and Rose however, merely looked skeptical.

"Yeah, well you would say that," Mickey scoffed, Aneres and Jake silently agreeing with the man.

"Encrypted wavelength six five seven using binary nine. That's the only reason I was working for Lumic," Pete sighed, "To get information. I thought I was broadcasting to the Security Services. What do I get? Scooby Doo and his gang. They've even got the van." His eyes welled up a little as the reality of how wrong his plan had gone began to sink in just a little more. Aneres merely glared at the man.

"Your efforts could have been better," She muttered, "Maybe if you had just tried a little harder this would never have happened. Be grateful that anyone even tried to respond to your snivelling instead of leaving you for dead." Rose gasped at her words, shocked at her complete lack of empathy for her father. "What is it Rose? Would you prefer that I coddle Mr. Tyler?" The blonde winced at Aneres' question, but couldn't form a response. "He hasn't earned my respect or empathy, so why should I make him more comfortable?"

"And what would you have him do to earn it?" The Doctor pointed out, siding with Rose a little on this one. Pete Tyler, despite who he worked for, was an innocent in this situation as far as he could tell. His Tether took a deep breath in hopes of controlling herself.

"Maybe he could actually assist us and give us any pertinent information to this situation?" Aneres suggested with a sickly sweet voice coating her tongue and dripping from her lips like venom. "So far, all he has done has been a hindrance and it's all your companion's fault." Ricky and Jake nodded along, her every word calling them like moths to a lamp until they realized something.

"Who are you two anyways?" Jake asked, gesturing his gun between Rose and the Doctor.

"My husband, the Doctor, and his…" Aneres trailed off, trying to find the right word for Rose. Companion? Pet? Manipulative idiot? Who knew at this point.

"I'm Rose," The blonde cut in, smiling nervously at everyone. Ricky and Jake barely acknowledged her, choosing instead to fixate on the Doctor who had fixed Aneres with a rather annoyed and disapproving look.

"What's up with you?" Ricky asked, scowling at the Time Lord. The Doctor raised his eyebrows incredulously. "Your wife literally saved our arses back there and you're acting like that's some horrible thing." Aneres smiled slightly at the support from her… well, they weren't her friends yet were they? More like comrades.

"I don't like guns, I don't like violence-" Ricky cut the Doctor off. "Sometimes it's necessary man." The Doctor shook his head in complete disbelief.

"Violence is never the right answer." Aneres sighed at his response, feeling so isolated from the love of her life. Violence had always been a sore spot for him, especially when it came to how quick she was to resort to it. He never understood her lack of patience in negotiation, and especially not her ability to skip right past it to a full-on attack. Despite that though, they had once been able to coexist and love each other while turning a blind eye to it. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case after everything they had been through. She would have to change, to learn restraint. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. She shook her head and distracted herself by listening in on Pete and Rose's conversation.

"That's the name of my dog, Rose," Pete said gently, trying to ignore the back and forth between Ricky and the Doctor as they discussed the morality of the former's actions. "Still, at least I've got the catering staff on my side." Rose grinned at him, nudging his shoulder gently.

"I knew you weren't a traitor," She murmured gleefully. Pete raised an eyebrow at the overexcited blonde woman beside him.

"Why is that, then?"

"I just did."

"They took my wife." Rose winced and tried to comfort the man.

"She might still be alive," She whispered, hoping against hope.

"That's even worse. Because that's what Lumic does. He takes the living and he turns them into those machines," He explained.

"Cybermen. They're called Cybermen. And I'd take those ear pods off, if I were you. You never know. Lumic could be listening," He pulled the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and scanned the ear pods, rendering them useless. Aneres ignored them, staring out the window and analyzing their surroundings. Jake joined her a moment later in a comforting, silent gesture of camaraderie.

"What the hell?" Aneres scowled at the sight before them while everyone else moved forward at Jake's exclamation.

"What's going on?" Rose demanded as people walked like zombies down London's many streets.

"It's the ear-pods. Lumic's taken control," The Doctor explained. Aneres pulled her gun a little closer, as did Ricky and Jake.

"Can't we just, I don't know, take them off?" The Time lady rolled her eyes at the human.

"Only if you want everyone's brains to be reduced to off-brand vanilla pudding," Aneres commented. Mrs. Moore brought the van to a stop and opened the side doors. Jake and Ricky exited first, the latter offering a hand to Aneres as she disembarked. The Doctor, Rose, Mickey, Pete and Mrs. Moors followed them slowly, taking great care not to be noticed by any possible Cybermen.

"Hey, come and see," Jake called out, turning a corner. Another group of people was walking down the street, heralded by the menacing Cybermen.

"Where are they all going?" Rose wondered, stepping slightly farther out to get a better look.

"I don't know. Lumic must have a base of operations," The Doctor commented before turning his gaze to Pete.

"Battersea. That's where he was building his prototypes." Ricky and Jake shared a look with Mrs. Moore before turning back to watch the Cybermen parade.

"Why's he doing it?" Pete sighed at the blonde woman.

"He's dying. This all started out as a way of prolonging life, of keeping the brain alive at any cost," He explained.

"The thing is, I've seen Cybermen before, haven't I? The head. Those handle shapes in Van Statten's museum," Rose remembered, turning to face the Doctor.

"Ah, there are Cybermen in our universe. They started on an ordinary world just like this, then swarmed across the galaxy. This lot are a parallel version, and they're starting from scratch right here on Earth," The Doctor shuddered as memories of the Cybermen he had been forced to fight rose up. Aneres shuddered as well, curling in on herself a little.

"Never mind that. Come on, we need to get out of the city," Ricky paused his monologue to formulate a plan, "Okay, split up. Mrs. Moore, you look after that bloke. Jake, distract them. Go right, I'll go left. We'll meet back at Bridge Street. Move."

"You sure you can handle that?" Aneres asked, one eyebrow raised.

"No, no, no. But the Preachers know what they're doing. Ricky said he's London's Most Wanted," Mickey said, jumping to their defense.

"Yeah, that's not exactly-" Mickey frowned.

"Not exactly what?" He asked.

"I'm London's Most Wanted for parking tickets," Ricky mumbled.

"Great," Mickey threw his hands in the air, completely exasperated at this little factoid.

"Yeah, they were deliberate. I was fighting the system. Park anywhere, that's me." He winced as the Time Lady shook her head.

"Parking tickets are very different from these creatures, I'm coming with you. I would rather you not die," She said coolly, ignoring the Doctor as he trembled in a mixture of fury and terror. Mickey watched as they grabbed weapons, torn between going or staying. Eventually, his mind was made up, and he grabbed his own gun.

"Do you really expect me to let you go through with this?" The Doctor's voice was ice cold.

"I don't see how you're going to stop me," Aneres replied with a smug grin.

"If you die-"

"Oh please, I'm not going to die. I haven't been on enough adventures yet." The Doctor shook his head and grabbed his Tether by the shoulders.

"I'm serious Annie."

"As am I darling," The Doctor's eyes shut as Aneres kissed him gently. They opened again as she pulled away with a softer smile stretching her lips. "Don't worry about me, worry about saving the world."

"I'll always worry about you," He replied as his Tether ran off.

TEotOS

"Which way? I don't know where we are," Mickey gasped out, clutching his side as they paused their running.

"Did they see us?" Ricky demanded, spinning in place to take a cursory glance.

"Do they know where we are?"

"I think they saw us. I bet they can see in the dark."

"I bet they've got satellites."

"I bet they saw us in the dark."

"They know where we are," The two of them said together, staring at one another in fear. The Time Lady shook her head with a small smile.

"Are you two done yet? God, you both sound like Fred and George Weasley."

"You mean Gred and Forge?" Ricky asked, causing Mickey and Aneres to cackle with laughter.

"I don't get it. What is it with you? You are exactly like me." Mickey sobered at Ricky's words.

"I don't know, I reckon you're braver."

"Oh yeah, ten times," Ricky sent him a smug grin, "Still, your friends aren't bad. I'll give you that." Aneres beamed at them, preening slightly.

"Oh, that's the Doctor, Aneres, and Rose. I just tag along behind."

"Well, then, you're not that bad."

"Do you think?" Mickey's voice was small and reminded Aneres of a kicked puppy.

"Yeah, I suppose," Ricky replied, throwing an arm around Mickey's shoulder. The Time Lady stiffened a split second later, as the boom of Cybermen's feet hitting the pavement echoed down the alleys.

"Cybermen," Mickey whispered, pulling away from Ricky.

"Split up!" The trio screeched before darting in different directions.

TEotOS

Aneres gasped as she crashed into Mickey, falling back on the concrete rather hard. She turned to see Ricky on the other side of a tall fence, with Cybermen close behind.

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" Mickey screamed, tugging Aneres back to her feet and watching with bated breath. Ricky struggled to hoist himself over the fence, grinning as he approached the top, only to scream.

Mickey's eyes widened and he gaped in horror. Aneres shrieked and covered her mouth with her hands. Ricky's body toppled from the fence, a Cyberman gripping his ankle with electricity crackling from its fist.

"No!" Mickey shouted, snarling at the Cybermen. They stared back at him in silence, daring him to make a move against them. Aneres sobbed and sprinted away, tears blurring her vision. Mickey stumbled backward and took off, in the opposite direction.

TEotOS

"I ran past the river. You should have seen it. The whole city's on the march. Hundreds of Cybermen all down the Thames," Jake gasped out as he met up with the Doctor and the others. Mrs. Moore dashed over to check on her friend, more than relieved he was alright. They looked up as Mickey ran over.

"Here he is! Which one are you?" Jake cheered with a massive grin on his face.

"I'm sorry. The Cybermen. He couldn't," Mickey stuttered out, tears choking his voice. The Doctor sighed, staring at the ground. Until a thought occurred to him.

"Are you Ricky? Are you Ricky?" Jake repeated, shaking Mickey by the shoulders.

"Mickey, that's you, isn't it?" Rose whispered as she walked closer to the two men. The Doctor's eyes flicked over the people in front of them.

"Yeah." Mickey and Rose embraced gently, while Jake and Mrs. Moore tried to muffle their emotions.

"He tried. He was running. There was too many of them," Mickey whispered, trying to console Jake.

"Mickey," He looked over at the Doctor, fists clenched, skin pale, and eyes alight with fire. "Where is Aneres?"

"There was nothing I could do. They grabbed him, and she took off before I could-" The Doctor and Jake stiffened. Mickey winced.

"Shut it. Don't even talk about them. You're nothing, you are. Nothing." Rose moved to snap at Jake, only to be cut off by the Doctor sinking to his knees and clutching his skull desperately.

"Doctor?" The Time Lord took ragged breaths.

"_Annie? Annie where are you?"_ His thoughts echoed through their connection, fear coating them in an icy balm. There was a moment of silence.

"_Theta?"_ The Doctor sighed in relief as her voice trickled into his mind. _"I'm south-west of you, only a few minutes away. I'll meet you at Battersea."_

"_No, meet me and we'll go together."_

"_I'll meet you there, Theta."_

"_Annie-"_ The connection closed. The Doctor slowly rose and turned to continue their trek down to Lumic's base.

"Come on, we've got a world to save." Jake scowled.

"But Ricky-"

"We can mourn him when London is safe. Until then, we need to be strong." The Doctor turned back to face them, his eyes dark. Eventually, everyone nodded and moved to follow him, their end goal in sight.

**I'm back guys! Sorry that I was gone for a little while, a lot of exciting things happened. I got accepted to my top university, my best friend turned 18, my grandma was hospitalized and I had exams, but we're still here and everything worked out. Hopefully, I haven't kept you guys waiting too long, I hate the waits for new chapters as much as anyone does. On another note, welcome to 2020! Hopefully, I'll be able to update more as I take some burdens off of my schedule but again it does depend on how my life decides to go. Thank you so much for being dedicated readers, and I'll see you in a bit with another chapter. Bye bye!**


	19. The Age of Steel: Priorities

Aneres choked back a sob, curling in on herself as she hid behind a large dumpster. Her mind was torn between continuing to block the connection between herself and the Doctor so he wouldn't feel her anguish and letting all of her grief out in a raging torrent. She didn't know Ricky well, she would admit that, but he had been a comrade and she had let him die. It was her fault.

He wasn't the only one either, the realization of which cleaved Aneres' heart in two again. Ricky was now another "notch in her bedpost", so to speak, and had joined the billions of others that had perished in her lifetime. Except, he wasn't.

Ricky was different, he had spent his whole life fighting while she had enjoyed a long and luxurious stretch of life up until the War. He hadn't been that privileged, he deserved more. More respect, more love, more protection. With that firm resolution, the Time Lady stood and began flirting down the alleyways to collect Ricky's body. He deserved a proper burial more than anyone, and that was far more important than killing any Cybermen.

TEotOS

The Doctor and Mrs. Moore crawled out of the cooling tunnels, scanning their surroundings and unhappily seeing a Cyberman clambering towards them.

"You are not upgraded," it stated, cocking its head slowly while staring them down.

"Yeah? Well, upgrade this," Mrs. Moore snarled before grabbing an object from her bag and chucking it at the Cyberman's chest. The Doctor watched in amazement as the Cyberman started to crackle with electricity while short circuiting.

"What the hell was that thing?" He asked, running over to inspect the Cybermen closely. Mrs. Moore grinned and removed the device from the alien, a small rod wrapped with copper wire.

"Electromagnetic bomb. Takes out computers, I figured it might stop the cyber-suit." The Doctor grinned.

"You figured right. Now, let's have a look," They kneeled next to the Cyberman, inspecting it carefully, "Know your enemy. A logo on the front. Lumic's turned them into a brand."

Mrs. Moore winced, absolutely disgusted at what was lying in front of her. This creature had once been a person, and now they had been reduced to a gadget made up of wires and buttons.

"Heart of steel, but look," The Doctor continued before he gently pried off the logo and it's attached chest plate. The both of them gag at the sight of tissue, ligaments and rotting muscle encasing the wires within.

"Is that flesh?" Mrs. Moore rasped, trying to hold back vomit.

"Hmmm. Central nervous system. Artificially grown then threaded throughout the suit so it responds like a living thing. Well, it is a living thing," The Doctor paused and leaned in, "Oh, but look. Emotional inhibitor. Stops them feeling anything." He tapped the device a couple times.

"But why?"

"It's still got a human brain. Imagine its reaction if it could see itself, realise itself inside this thing. They'd go insane."

"So they cut out the one thing that makes them human."

"Because they have to," The Doctor paled as the Cyberman twitched.

"Why am I cold?" The machine whispered, it's voice still guttural but somewhat feminine now.

"Oh, my God. It's alive. It can feel," Mrs. Moore covered her mouth, tears blossoming in her eyes.

"We broke the inhibitor. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," The Doctor crooned gently.

"Why so cold?"

"Can you remember your name?" The Cyberman paused at the Doctor's question before slowly replying.

"Sally. Sally Phelan."

"You're a woman," Mrs. Moore noted, leaning in a little to hear the poor thing better.

"Where's Gareth?"

"Who's Gareth?" The Doctor watched as Mrs. Moore questioned the Cyberman.

"He can't see me. It's unlucky the night before," Sally croaked through the Cyberman.

"You're getting married," Mrs. Moore realized sadly.

"I'm cold. I'm so cold." The Doctor slowly stood up, pulling Mrs. Moore to her feet before taking his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket.

"It's all right. You sleep now, Sally. Just go to sleep." The screwdriver whirred for a second before Sally's Cyber form went limp and she was freed.

"Sally Phelan didn't die for nothing," The Doctor paused before gasping, "because that's the key. The emotional inhibitor. If we could find the code behind it, the cancellation code, then feed it throughout the system into every Cyberman's head, they'd realise what they are."

"And what happens then?" Mrs. Moore asked, watching the Doctor intently as she tried to push past the horrible fate Sally had endured.

"I think it would kill them," The Doctor paused again, "Could we do that?"

"We've got to. Before they kill everyone else. There's no choice, Doctor. It's got to be done," Mrs. Moore declared before turning… right into the path of a Cyberman. Her lips parted in a silent scream and her limbs writhed as the ruthless current flowed through every inch of her body.

Eventually the Cyberman dropped her on the ground and faced the distraught Time Lord across from it.

"No! No, you didn't have to kill her!" The Cyberman ignored his shouts.

"Sensors detect a binary vascular system. You are an unknown upgrade. You will be taken for analysis," The Doctor winced as the Cyberman took his arm and began dragging him up to wherever analysis occurred in this place.

TEotOS

Ricky's body was exactly where she had left it, open eyed next to a chain link fence in a damp alleyway of London. Aneres briefly wondered how many others had been left like this, dead or dying in a cesspool of misery that they could never escape? Hundreds probably, but there wasn't time for her to focus on that. And so, with careful steps, she approached Ricky Smith and pulled him up onto her back before taking off once again.

She didn't get far before she had to hide inside an abandoned apartment complex from a large battalion of Cybermen. Their extremely loud movements had given them away, but disguising herself had proved tricky with a 155 lb human being on her back. Several minutes passed before the Time Lady dared to try and move, and when she eventually did it wasn't pleasant.

"_I need to work out more often,_" Aneres grumbled mentally as she descended the stairs at a far slower pace than she had ascended them. Thankfully there weren't that many steps and she managed to get pretty far away before needing to stop and rest again.

She looked around and noticed a small public park, completely uninhabited by Cybermen for the moment. Taking a chance, she dragged Ricky's body inside and began searching for a shovel.

TEotOS

Mickey and Jake searched Lumic's ship, looking for anything that could possibly take out the transmitter.

"The controls are sealed behind here, we need like an oxyacetylene or something," Mickey said, pointing out the barrier around the control pad. Jake rolled his eyes.

"Oh, and I forgot to bring it with me."

"Well then, what do we do?" Mickey demanded.

"We'll crash the Zeppelin."

"With us inside it?"

"We could set it to automatic and then just leg it. Let's have a look," Jake decided before he approached the steering controls, "It's locked. There's got to be an override."

"Let me have a go. I'm good with computers. Trust me," Mickey said with a grin, his fingers already typing away at the keyboard. Neither of them noticed the Cyberman waking up in the alcove behind them.

TEotOS

The Doctor sighed as he was led into the control room by the Cyberman, "I've been captured, but don't worry, Rose and Pete are still out there. They can rescue me," He trailed off at the sight of them also standing in the control room, "Oh well, never mind. You okay?"

"Yeah. But they got Jackie," Rose replied, her voice sullen. The Doctor winced and looked over at Pete.

"We were too late. Lumic killed her," He choked out, tears threatening to fall. The Doctor nodded slowly before testing one of their only options left.

"_Annie? Annie can you hear me?" _Silence.

"_Annie, I'm serious, you said you were coming to Battersea, where are you?" _Once again, no reply. Dread filled his mind at the idea of what could've happened to her between the center of London and Battersea.

"_Annie, we need your help. Please."_ And with that, the Doctor turned his attention back to their current problem.

"Then where is he, the famous Mister Lumic? Don't we get the chance to meet our Lord and Master?" He jeered.

"He has been upgraded," The Cyberman replied.

"So he's just like you?"

"He is superior. The Lumic Unit has been designated Cyber Controller." The Doctor, Rose and Pete watched with horror as an ever more complicated Cyberman was wheeled into the room, from which Lumic's voice echoed.

"This is The Age of Steel and I am its Creator."

TEotOS

Aneres sighed in relief as she unearthed a shovel from a shed in the back corner of the park. As she walked back over to Ricky's body, she kept her eyes out for any possible places where she could bury him. The rose bushes were a possibility, but she eventually decided the large oak tree about 20 feet away from his body was best. And so she placed her shovel down before going over to grab Ricky and bring him to his final resting place.

TEotOS

Mickey continued to type on the keyboard before him, grinning at his progress, "Almost there."

"Not bad work," Jake praised, his smile fading as the Cyberman broke free from the alcove behind him, "It's moving! You said it was dead!"

"Yeah. But a robot's still a big robot," Mickey looked up from the keyboard and turned to the Cyberman, "Wait a minute. Hey, Cyberman, over here. Come on, you brainless lump of metal. Come and have a go!" He dashed over to the Transmitter Controls and beamed as the Cyberman followed and plunged its hand into the panel, electrocuting itself.

"The transmitter's down!" Jake and Mickey shouted in delight, watching as people poured out of the factory free as the wind. A beeping at the monitor distracted them though.

"Hold on, I've logged on to Cyber Control," Mickey murmured, watching as the monitor showed the Doctor, Pete and Rose facing Lumic.

"They're alive! The Doctor and Rose, there they are!"

"Never mind them, what the hell is that thing?" Jake demanded, leaning in to get a closer look.

"Shush. Has this thing got sound?" Mickey turned up the volume dial, managing to hear Lumic over the speakers.

"I will bring peace to the world. Everlasting peace," The deranged man claimed. Mickey and Jake glared at the man that had been the downfall of their friend and comrade.

TEotOS

Blisters had started forming on Aneres' hands by the time she had finished digging the grave in front of her. Her face was stained red and shining with sweat and tears, her legs were shaking with exhaustion, but she wasn't quite finished yet. She turned to Ricky and knelt next to him, her tears dripping onto his peaceful face.

"I'm so sorry Ricky. I am so sorry and I know I can't do much more than this to make it up to you, so I hope you can forgive me," A loud sob escaped her lips, "You were a loyal comrade, a beloved son, and a dear friend who helped save so many people in such a short amount of time. Thank you for that."

Her hand brushed away the tears on both of their faces before reaching up and undoing her hair ribbon. Once it was detangled from her locks, she ripped it in half and wrapped one piece of it around Ricky's wrist. She tugged on it to make sure it was secure before standing to wrap the other piece around a skinny branch of the oak tree.

"Now your loved ones will know where to find you, and you won't be alone." Aneres whispered before bending over and shifting his body into the grave. Another sob tore from her throat as she picked up her shovel and began to cover him with nature's blanket, one that would protect him for eternity.

TEotOS

"What is your name?" Lumic asked, staring at the Time Lord before him.

"I'm the Doctor."

"A redundant title. Doctors need not exist. Cybermen never sicken."

"Yeah, but that's it. That's exactly the point! Oh, Lumic, you're a clever man. I'd call you a genius, except I'm in the room," Rose giggled at the Doctor's joke, "But everything you've invented, you did to fight your sickness. And that's brilliant. That is so human. But once you get rid of sickness and mortality, then what's there to strive for, eh?"

Lumic seemed to pause, considering the Doctor's words as he continued, "The Cybermen won't advance. You'll just stop. You'll stay like this forever. A metal Earth with metal men and metal thoughts, lacking the one thing that makes this planet so alive," The Doctor gestured to Rose and Pete with his next words, "People. Ordinary, stupid, brilliant people."

"You are proud of your emotions," Lumic stated.

"Oh, yes," The Doctor said with a grin.

"Then tell me, Doctor. Have you known grief, and rage, and pain?"

"Yes. Yes I have."

"And they hurt?"

"Oh, yes," The Doctor whispered, remembering exactly how much he had personally lost in his 903 years of life in this universe. His eyes glazed over slightly as memories flitted across his mind.

"I could set you free. Would you not want that? A life without pain?" Lumic questioned.

"You might as well kill me."

"Then I take that option."

"It's not yours to take," The Doctor snarled, not about to let something as pathetic as Lumic even attempt to destroy him, even the parts that caused him pain, "You're a Cyber Controller. You don't control me or anything with blood in its heart."

"You have no means of stopping me. I have an army. A species of my own."

"You just don't get it, do you? An army's nothing. Because those ordinary people, they're the key. The most ordinary person could change the world," The Doctor stared at a camera in the corner of the room, smirking at the sight of the flashing red light on it. "Some ordinary man or woman, some idiot," Rose frowned at the Doctor's word choice, "All it takes is for him to find, say, the right numbers. Say the right codes. Say, for example, the code behind the emotional inhibitor. The code right in front of him."

TEotOS

Mickey watched the Doctor speak on the monitor, "Because even an idiot knows how to use computers these days. Knows how to get past firewalls and passwords. Knows how to find something encrypted in the Lumic Family Database, under er. What was it, Pete? Binary what?"

Pete spoke up, "Binary nine."

Jake frowned in confusion while Mickey's eyes widened and his fingers got back to work on the keyboard, searching for that one little database.

"Binary Nine," He whispered to himself while continuing to listen to the Doctor speak.

"An idiot could find that code. Cancellation code," The Doctor explained, "And he'd keep on typing, keep on fighting. Anything to save his friends."

"Your words are irrelevant," Lumic scoffed.

"Yeah, talk too much, that's my problem. Lucky I got you that cheap tariff, Rose, for all our long chats on your phone."

"The phone," Mickey gasped, immediately typing in the cancellation code as it popped up on the monitor in front of him.

"You will be deleted," Lumic repeated for the umpteenth time that day.

"Yes. Delete, control, hash. All those lovely buttons. Then, of course, my particular favourite, send," Mickey clicked the send button, "And let's not forget how you seduced all those ordinary people in the first place."

Rose's phone beeped while the Doctor spoke, "By making every bit of technology compatible with everything else."

"It's for you," Rose piped up, passing the phone to the Doctor.

"Like this," The Doctor cheered before sticking the phone into a docking station. Mickey watched in amazement as the code was transmitted and all of the Cybermen screamed in pain.

"Yes!" Mickey and Jake cheered as the Cybermen began to die.

TEotOS

The dirt was dark and moist, a stain on the otherwise green landscape of the park where Aneres had buried Ricky Smith. The Time Lady had fallen to her knees in front of it out of sheer exhaustion, staring at it with empty eyes that had seen far too much. In the background, she hear humans running away, screaming and she idly realized that they must have succeeded in saving the world.

It didn't matter to her, and yet it did. She knew she was grieving, and that her priorities had been adjusted, but was it justified? Should she have left him behind and helped her Tether? In the grand scheme of things, stopping Lumic was far more important than one singular person's death, but she couldn't bring herself to believe that.

Perhaps it was because he had died alone, with no one he knew beside him. Maybe it was because his only family member was going to have to learn that the one person she loved more than anything in the world was just… gone. However, none of those reasons made sense to Aneres because they weren't exclusive to just Ricky. What made him special?

Unable to answer that question, she simply put her head in her knees and continued sobbing, her mental walls crumbling down with each passing second.

TEotOS

The Doctor stopped running through Battersea Station as he was finally able to feel Aneres' presence again. His body sagged in relief, and he connected to her mind once again, only to stiffen at the tidal wave of grief that was crashing through her mind. The Doctor brought a hand to his chest, feeling his hearts crack in half at the pain he was feeling from her.

Rose's arrival distracted him, however. "It's Mickey. He says head for the roof!" She screamed, her phone next to her ear.

He slowly nodded before racing up the stairs as fast as he could with Pete and Rose hot on his tail. Eventually they made it to the roof, just as Mickey piloted Lumic's zeppelin down to meet them.

"Mickey, where'd you learn to fly that thing?" Rose said into the phone, her mouth gaping at the sight. Neither her, nor Pete noticed the Doctor wincing in pain as he struggled to get through to his Tether.

The zeppelin contnued its descent, only faltering occasionally until it stopped to drop a rope ladder down to them.

"You've got to be kidding," Pete groaned, rolling his eyes at the rope ladder. The Doctor however, said nothing and merely pushed Rose onto the ladder before staring his own ascent despite being rather distracted.

"Hold on tight, we're going up! Welcome to Mickey Smith's Airline. Please enjoy your flight. Woo!" Rose laughed at Mickey's announcement, overjoyed until the rope ladder suddenly jolted downwards roughly. Everyone looked down to see Lumic clinging onto the bottom, striking fear into their hearts.

The Doctor panicked for a second before fishing out the sonic screwdriver and giving it to Rose's parallel father. "Pete! Take this! Use it! Hold the button down! Press it against the rope. Just do it!"

"Jackie Tyler. This is for her!" The rope crumbled within seconds of Pete pressing the screwdriver to it; and as Lumic tumbled to his death, all the Doctor could focus on was his Tether. He had to find her.

TEotOS

The Doctor stood in the entrance of Dovehouse Green with Mickey and Jake standing behind him. He walked inside, scanning his surroundings until his eyes landed on a figure kneeling in front of an oak tree. Aneres. His legs carried him to her at a speed that rivaled that of light, desperation fueling his every move until he was able to wrap his arms around her and hold her close.

"I was so worried," He whispered, his fingers white as they clenched tightly around her weak and weary form. Her head lolled to the side, resting in the crook of his shoulder for a moment before the Doctor adjusted to inspect her carefully.

"What happened to you, why didn't you meet us?"

Aneres sobbed in response, shaking her head repeatedly for several minutes. Her breaths heaved from her chest, forcing tremors to rattle through her body until she was able to slowly point at the grave in front of her. The Doctor froze while Mickey and Jake merely stared at it in shock.

"I couldn't… I couldn't leave him in that alleyway," She wailed softly, her voice hoarse from her hours of crying. Jake took a step towards it before kneeling in front of the grave beside her and the Doctor.

"You buried him, properly." Mickey rested a hand on Jake's shoulder, hearing the agony in his voice. The latter reached up to squeeze his hand tightly, barely holding back tears of his own.

"Thank you," Jake managed to choke out after a short while. Aneres nodded before hiding her face in the Doctor's neck and continuing to cry.

Eventually Jake stood up, followed by the Doctor who adjusted his grip so he could carry Aneres back to the Tardis. Mickey followed them, his body starting to feel so unbelievably exhausted after the day's events.

TEotOS

Rose and Pete watched as the Doctor approached, an unconscious Aneres in his arms, and entered the Tardis without a word to either of them.

"So where was she then?" Pete snapped, turning to face Mickey and Jake. Their faces darkened at Pete's words, frightening Rose slightly.

"She stayed behind to bury my friend you ignorant pig," Jake snarled. Mickey rested a hand on his shoulder, holding him back.

"Don't call him that!" Rose shouted, moving forward slightly. Mickey scoffed at her and rolled his eyes.

"Rose, don't defend someone who can't understand how battle changes your priorities. Remember, he wanted to stay behind for Jackie and that nearly got all of us killed."

Pete and Rose gaped at Mickey, who merely crossed his arms and pinned them down with a hard stare. A moment later the door to the Tardis creaked open to reveal the Doctor.

"I've only got about five minutes of power Rose, Mickey, so let's go," The Time Lord explained, his eyes and voice completely drained of any feeling or tone.

"Do you want to come with us?" Rose asked, smiling at Pete while she tried to ignore Mickey's cruelty.

"No, I don't think so. There's all those Lumic factories out there. All those Cybermen still in storage. Someone's got to tell the authorities what happened, carry on the fight…" Pete stammered out, unable to face the idea of leaving everything behind as it was.

"The Doctor could show you-"

"Thank you. For everything."

"Dad-"

"Don't. Just, just don't." And with that, Pete walked away from them and from the Tardis.

The Doctor watched him leave before turning to Jake and Mickey, "Now then, Jake, we've got to run. But one more thing. Mrs Moore. Her real name was Angela Price. She's got a husband out there, and children. Find them. Tell them how she died saving the world."

"Yeah, course I will," Jake said. The Doctor nodded with a slight smile on his face at Jake's words.

"Off we go, then," The Doctor whispered, about to turn around when Mickey piped up.

"Er, thing is, I'm staying." Everyone froze.

"You're doing what?" The Doctor demanded.

"You can't!" Rose retorted.

"It sort of balances out, because this world lost its Ricky, but there's me. And there's work to be done with all those Cybermen still out there," Mickey explained, watching as the Doctor's slight smile turned to one full of approval and pride.

"But you can't stay," Rose whispered, the thought of losing Mickey completely foreign to her.

"Rose, my gran's here. She's still alive, and she needs me more than anyone does. It's one thing for us to lose Ricky, but it would kill her and I can't let that happen. So, I'm staying."

"What about me? What if I need you?"

"Yeah, but Rose, you don't. We had something a long time ago, but not anymore."

"Well, we'll come back. We can travel anywhere. Come and see you, yeah?"

"I think it would be best if you didn't," The Doctor's eyes widened, "You and I… Whatever we were is long gone and it's time for something new. Besides, I bet there's some space reason why you couldn't anyways." Mickey looked over at the Doctor, who nodded.

"The universes would collapse if we came back. I'm sorry Rose, but this is goodbye for you and Mickey," The Doctor replied, wincing as Rose let out a soft cry.

Mickey walked over to them and held out his hand, "Doctor."

They shook hands briefly before the Doctor pulled away and said, "Take Rose's phone. It's got the code. Get it out there. Stop those factories. And good luck, Mickey the idiot."

"Watch it," Mickey chuckled, "And Doctor?" The Time Lord turned to face him, "Tell Aneres goodbye for me."

The Doctor nodded before going back into the Tardis. Rose slowly walked over to Mickey and passed him her phone.

"Thanks. We've had a laugh though, haven't we?"

Rose nodded and whispered, "Yeah."

"Go on, don't miss your flight," Mickey murmured before giving Rose one last hug.

Rose pulled away first and walked over to the Tardis, tears still falling from her eyes. She looked back at them one last time before closing the door.

"Jake, you'll want to watch this," Mickey shouted, grinning as the Tardis dematerialized in front of them.

"What the hell?" Jake whispered in awe.

"That's the Doctor and Aneres in the Tardis, with Rose Tyler," Mickey said before turning on his heel and walking back to the van with Jake.

TEotOS

Jackie looked up as the Tardis started to appear in her flat, shocked as Rose sprinted out and hugged her tightly.

"You're alive. Oh mum, you're alive," Rose sniffled. The Doctor and Aneres slowly walked over to the door of the Tardis, weary after the journey.

"Well, I was the last time I looked. What is it? What's happened, sweetheart? What's wrong? Where did you go? Who's that?" Jackie questioned, staring at the Doctor and the woman next to him.

"Far away. That was far away." Aneres nodded at the Doctor's words, shivering as he kissed the top of her head gently.

"Where's Mickey? Who are you?" Jackie demanded, staring at Aneres distrustfully.

"My name is Aneres. To answer your other question, he's gone home," The Time Lady explained, sadness coating her voice like a syrup.

TEotOS

Mickey and Jake had made their way back to Ricky's grave, this time with a makeshift headstone. Jake placed it in front of the tree, sniffling softly as he continued to grieve. After several moments of silence, Mickey spoke up.

"I know it's not easy with my face looking exactly like Ricky, but I'm a different man. I'm not replacing him. But we can remember him by fighting in his name," Jake looked up at him, "With all those Cyber factories out there, do you think they'll be one in Paris?" Mickey asked.

"Yeah."

"Then, let's go and liberate Paris."

"What, you and me, in a van?"

"There's nothing wrong with a van. I once saved the universe with a big yellow truck," Mickey said, a sad smile on his face as he hoisted Jake to his feet. They stared at each other for a moment before heading back to their van, a new mission on their plate.

**HELLO AGAIN! Thank you for being so patient and amazing, my delightful readers. To start things off, let me address Aneres' actions in this chapter. Not everyone deals with death and trauma the same way, and I found it completely unrealistic that both she and Mickey would be able to just move on after seeing him die right in front of them, so I had her do something different. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I enjoyed writing it and giving some more depth to the story as a whole. Ricky seems like such a dismissed character in this episode and I wanted to give him a little more recognition. Please leave a review or a PM if you have questions, comments, or concerns. The next chapter will be an original one so it might take me a little while to get it published. Once again, thank you for staying by my side for this long! Until next time!**


	20. Cleaning Up

The Doctor winced as he finally managed to close the Tardis doors, Jackie and Rose's shouting echoing from the other side. Apparently telling your companion that you and your wife needed a break from traveling with a companion, and thus revealing to your companion's mother that you even had a wife, was not a very good idea. He looked across the console room to see Aneres sitting in the captain's chair completely silent and motionless.

"Are you alright darling?" He whispered as he locked the door and approached her slowly. She didn't seem to hear him for a moment, her eyes still trained on the floor. After a rather long minute, she looked up to meet his gaze.

"Where are we going next?" Aneres asked softly. Her eyes were dull, her hair tangled, and her face streaked with mud and other such stains. The Doctor stopped in his tracks as he truly got a good look at her face.

"The only place we're going next is the bath to get you cleaned up," Aneres frowned in confusion before relaxing into the Doctor's arms as he once again scooped her up to carry her bridal style. She leaned into the crook of his shoulder, gently nuzzling the Doctor's neck while gently inhaling his scent.

By the time they had made it to the bathroom, Aneres had begun to feel rather drowsy and her eyes had fluttered shut. The Doctor found the sight rather endearing until he realized he needed to put her down in order to open the door to her bathroom. Thankfully, Sexy decided to be nice this time around and opened the door for him.

It didn't look much different from their bathroom back on Gallifrey and was complete with a long chaise as well as a soaking tub for her to relax in. Memories idly floated to his mind of nights spent in the bath with his Tether after their children had gone to sleep, her gentle body pliant under his gentle ministrations. He shook his head and returned to the task at hand; he slowly lowered to set her down on the chaise before getting to work on removing her clothing.

Aneres' eyes opened as she felt her shirt be pulled over her head. She jolted forward, covering her bra with both arms and staring her Tether down. "What are you doing?" Her voice came out as a shy whisper.

"I'm helping you get cleaned up, and I can't exactly do that while you're fully clothed," The Doctor replied, smiling up at her. He then realized why she was being so tentative and shy. "Aneres, I never want to be with anyone else besides you. I love that I am so intimately connected to you and I want to be able to do things like this, to take care of you."

His Tether blinked and then blinked again. Slowly, her arms came down so that she could take his hands in hers and clasp them tightly. "Do you mean that?" She asked, shaking slightly as the air chilled her exposed skin.

"Every single word my darling," He murmured, bringing her hands to his lips in order to press soft kisses to each one. His eyes opened to lock with hers, enjoying the sight of ever-familiar emeralds gazing back down at him. The both of them were so entranced, neither of them really registered the Doctor's hands removing the rest of Aneres' garments until his fingers reached the top of her jeans. They slowly stood up, giving him enough access to unbutton her jeans and start to pull them off.

The next time the two of them stood Aneres was bare to his eyes, and quite a delight for the Doctor to be blessed with. He tried to keep his head on straight though and decided to focus his attention on running the bath. First and foremost, he needed to get her cleaned up. The Doctor's eyes scanned over all of the products next to her bath and were finally able to find her body wash, which was apparently mint and sage scented, along with a soft washcloth after a few minutes.

"How warm is it?" Aneres asked, crossing her legs as she reseated herself on the couch. The Doctor dipped his fingers in the water for a moment before turning back to face her.

"Not too hot," He replied while he stood up. His hands extended to help her step into the bath, hands that she grasped tightly and pushed down on for support as her body trembled. Finally she was able to sit down in the tub, the water caressing her skin just enough to soak off some of the grime. The Doctor knelt again beside the tub and grabbed the washcloth.

"Can you do my hair first?" Her question gave him pause, but he smiled and reached across for her shampoo and conditioner.

"Of course," He squeezed some of the shampoo into his hands, "Lean back and get your hair wet." Aneres did as he asked, her curls swirling in the water while her head swayed from side to side. She then sat up and turned away from him so he had a better angle.

Neither of them said a word while the Doctor's fingers ran through her hair with an almost painful amount of tenderness as they spread rosemary scented lather through ebony ringlets. His nails lightly scratched at her scalp, dislodging more dirt and bringing a slight tingle of pleasure to Aneres. She leaned farther into his touch and relished every sensation until it was time to rinse out her hair.

"Lean back again," The Doctor dipped his hands in the water to rinse them off, "and then I can put in the conditioner."

Aneres nodded and relaxed back into the water with a happy sigh. The feeling of warm water surrounding her brought a sense of security and purity as it held her tightly and soaked out the rest of the suds in her hair. When she eventually sat up it felt as if a load of bricks had been removed from her shoulders and she could finally relax.

"Turn around again," The Doctor spread conditioner between his hands, "This might feel cold."

His warning was needed as the chill from the mint inside the product tingled across her scalp with an almost nipping cold. Her body shivered more as the water droplets coating her upper body cooled with every second exposed to the air above the tub. The Doctor quickly ran the rest of the product through her hair before rinsing his hands off and grabbing the washcloth from earlier.

"Close your eyes darling," Her eyes fluttered shut while the Doctor gently scrubbed her face clean, "Time to rinse." He gently poured some water from the pitcher over her face to reveal her milky white skin, stain free. Her eyes opened, blinking a couple times to dislodge some droplets from her eyelashes.

"Should I stand up?" Aneres asked, as the Doctor started putting body wash on the cloth. Her Tether nodded absentmindedly, completely absorbed in his task.

She hoisted herself into a standing position, water dripping from her fingertips and running down the rest of her skin in rivulets as gravity acted upon it. The Doctor stared up at her with adoration in his eyes, unable to make himself stand up for a few seconds. Finally, he cleared his throat and stood with the washcloth firmly in his grip.

"Turn around," Aneres did as he asked. She smiled slightly at the sound of the Doctor taking a deep breath before putting the washcloth on her right shoulder and beginning to scrub her clean.

Each stroke of the washcloth left her feeling better than the last, the repetitive motion grounding her in the moment and relaxing her still slightly tense muscles. She could hear the Doctor's breathing as well as a soft humming sound from the Tardis as it decided to pilot itself back into the Time Vortex and away from the Powell Estate. The Doctor moved the washcloth down her right arm and hand before coming back up and over to the left shoulder to repeat the same motions.

"Is it too rough?" His voice was a gentle whisper in the otherwise quiet bathroom. Aneres shook her head no and smiled while he continued to scrub her back and sides. He paused for a moment to grab the pitcher next to the tub, scooping up water with it to pour down her back and rinse off the suds. A pleased hum escaped her as the warmth cascaded down her back.

"That feels nice," She murmured. The Doctor leaned in and pressed a kiss to the stretch of skin between her neck and left shoulder.

"I'm glad." His mouth grazed her skin as he spoke, yet it pulled away as quickly as it had arrived. Aneres frowned in disappointment until his hands came up to her shoulder and slowly turned her back around to face him. Their eyes met and it was like staring into dark, smoldering embers for the Time Lady. Unending passion lingered just beneath the surface of the Doctor's irises, passion that Aneres wanted to cover herself in and relish for all eternity.

The Doctor, however, had more control than her and simply returned to gently cleaning her up, starting from the delicate skin of her neck. Aneres reached up to pull her hair back and give him better access, the feeling of the fabric gliding over her skin a pleasant one. Once her neck had been thoroughly cleaned, the cloth made its descent to her chest where it hovered just above her sternum.

"Can I…" Aneres smiled slightly and nodded in response to the Doctor's unfinished request, only to let her eyes flutter shut as the Doctor gently began scrubbing her breasts with firm strokes. Each passing second felt like an eon of pleasure all wrapped up with a bow of comfort that she would never give up, not for all the riches in the world.

_Splash. _Her eyes opened again as warm water removed the suds sliding down her chest and midriff. The Doctor smiled at her before going back to a kneeling position and bringing the washcloth to the top of her thighs. He returned to scrubbing her skin gently, his free hand holding her steady by resting in the small of her back. Every so often he would glance up at her face to make sure she was okay, but would quickly look back down at her legs and feet and attempt to avoid eye contact with… certain areas.

Eventually, the Doctor had cleaned off both of her legs and feet and stood up to give Aneres a gentle peck on the lips. She smiled slightly and passed him the pitcher.

"Rinse my hair off for me?" The Doctor nodded and took the pitcher from her, filled it from the faucet, and then poured it gently through her raven locks. He repeated that once more for good measure, and then helped her step out of the tub and onto a fuzzy bath mat. His eyes scanned the bathroom until they landed on a very fluffy yellow bath towel, which he immediately grabbed and started drying her off with.

"Did that help?" The Doctor asked softly as he bundled Aneres up into the towel, her body and hair fairly dry at that point. She nodded and took a step closer to rest her head on his chest.

"Thank you," She nuzzled his shirt as she spoke, her arms coming out to wrap around his middle and hug him tightly. He chuckled and hugged her back, his chin resting atop her freshly scented hair.

"Of course darling," His lips pressed another gentle kiss to her hair. The Doctor pulled away a few moments later. "Let's get you dressed and fed, alright?"

"Alright."

TEotOS

Aneres held the Doctor's hand and swung it idly between them as they walked up and down the many aisles of their massive closet. Finally they seemed to have found a loungewear or sleepwear sort of area filled to the brim with soft and comfy clothing, which Aneres started eagerly exploring. Her fingers ran over each article of clothing, trying to find the perfect thing to curl up in for a little while.

"How about this?" She turned to see the Doctor holding up a black velvet nightgown. Her nose crinkled slightly and she shook her head.

"Too dark. I'm thinking something cheery." Her Tether nodded and started hunting for pastel colors amongst the rows.

Aneres turned her attention back to the row in front of her, plucking items from the shelves every so often only to shake her head and put it back. Nothing was feeling quite right, quite cozy enough. She wanted to feel nice and bundled up for the evening.

"Is this a better option?" The Doctor asked, approaching with a baby blue, soft fleece top with a polar bear print and sweatpants of the same color. He watched as she turned around and walked over to inspect the material, rubbing it between her fingers and a little on her cheek.

"Much better, not sure that I like the polar bears though," Aneres said as she followed him back to where the other sets with that fabric were kept. She rifled through the reds and oranges, disliking every shade they had available, passed the yellows and greens, and then the blues, before arriving at the purples. Her eyes were immediately drawn to a light lavender colored set, with black polka dots adorning the fabric in a very nostalgic way.

"I like these," The Doctor murmured from behind her.

"Me too!" She whispered back excitedly before she grabbed the set and slipped into it. "It's so fluffy!"

The Doctor laughed at how fuzzy Aneres looked, almost like a little purple sheep eagerly bouncing in front of him.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," He grabbed her hand and pulled her close to his side again, "And now it's time for food."

Aneres nodded and allowed the Doctor to lead her back to where their kitchen was, her stomach loudly encouraging her along the way.

TEotOS

The Doctor guided Aneres to a chair, only to chuckle as she hopped up onto the countertop next to where he usually prepared their meals.

"Do you want a cup of tea? It usually helps to keep you relaxed."

"Yes please," Aneres replied while she tucked her feet under herself. The cool countertop felt rather pleasant against the tops of her feet and caused her to wiggle around with a speck of glee.

The Doctor opened a drawer on the opposite side of the room and took out two boxes of tea, displaying them to his Tether.

"Herbal or black tea?" Aneres pointed at the box of black tea, "Any sugar or milk?"

"Two sugars, no milk please," She said gently while she watched him prepare her beverage. Her hands eagerly reached out and wrapped around the mug when the Doctor brought it over and her lips curled into a slightly larger smile.

"What do you want for dinner? We can do pasta, sandwiches, roasted meat and veg, anything you like." The Doctor rifled through the fridge as he spoke, taking note of any important ingredients that he could use.

"Sandwiches sound nice," Aneres replied while she sipped at her tea. He had managed to sweeten it perfectly she realized, the very thought spurring her on to take several more sips.

"Alrighty, what do you want in them?"

"Hmm, chicken and cucumber?"

"Let's see," objects loudly clattered in the fridge, "I have chicken, but no cucumber. Would lettuce be okay?"

"That sounds perfect." She watched as he pulled out all of the ingredients for her sandwich, as well as some turkey and mustard for his own. A few moments and several assemblies later, there was a platter of sandwiches sitting next to Aneres on the counter.

"Look okay?" The Doctor asked, leaning in to rub his nose against Aneres'. She giggled and pecked his own nose lightly.

"Positively scrummy. Can we eat in the library?" The comfy chairs and crackling fire in the hearth called to Aneres not unlike a siren's song. Her bottom lip stuck out in a slight pout while the Doctor pretended to ponder her request.

"Of course, I'll even read to you if you want me to," The Doctor offered while he grabbed the sandwiches and lead them from the kitchen. Aneres nodded, her lips back to a small smile as they traversed the hallways of the Tardis.

TEotOS

The two Gallifreyans plopped down on the leather couch right in front of the fireplace, relishing in the waves of heat that washed over their bodies. Not a word was spoken for a while as the both of them slowly ate their sandwiches and relaxed. Only the occasional crackle from the fireplace and their soft breathing was audible.

"What made you go back for Ricky?" The Doctor eventually asked, staring at Aneres as she ate the last bite of her last sandwich. She gave a soft hum before replying.

"He deserved a proper burial. What made you decide to leave Rose on Earth with her mum?"

"You and I needed some time alone. Why did he deserve it?"

"Maybe because he was someone who fought harder than anyone to keep his loved one safe? Maybe because he was murdered in an alleyway with no respect or honor given to him by his killers?" Aneres took a long sip of tea, "I'm not entirely sure myself, but it felt right."

The Doctor nodded slightly. He could comprehend those reasons, but one thing in particular still struck him as odd.

"How come you didn't come to Battersea? We could've kept each other safe."

"I trusted you to keep yourself safe," The Doctor gaped at her, "Oh don't look at me like that, we both know you're very capable of keeping yourself safe. You did it for over a century before you found me."

"Did you know that in the moment? Was that another reason why you decided to stay behind?"

"I couldn't recognize it in the moment, everything was blurry and distraught, but looking back I felt very secure with my decision so that must have been something my brain recognized in the background." Aneres took another sip of tea and stared into the writhing flames inside the hearth.

"Next time, please, tell me where you are instead of letting me worry," The Doctor requested, moving forward to pull her into his arms.

"Alright, I will," She whispered, leaning into his warm embrace.

The Doctor gently stroked her hair, watching as her eyes got heavier and eventually closed in sleep. He moved the mug in her hands to the table beside the sofa as well as the plate. Once all the obstacles were removed he slowly stood with her in his arms and walked out of the library towards their bedroom. It was time for them to get some well deserved sleep.

**I know I said it was gonna take a while, but writing this was so fun and therapeutic that I just kept going until it was done. Oops. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, the next chapter coming up is The Idiot's Lantern! Rose might come back for that, she might not, I haven't decided but when I do it'll be another adventure that I'll enjoy writing! Thank you for reading, please leave a review for questions, comments, concerns, or you can send me a PM! **


	21. The Idiot's Lantern: Monsters?

A week had passed since they had left Rose behind on Earth, and the Doctor had decided that they had had enough time to recuperate at this point. Aneres had disagreed at first but decided that if it made her Tether happy she would go along with it. That is, to an extent.

And so the two Time Lords had not gone back to retrieve Rose and instead were having a slight back and forth on where they were going to go next.

"Well how about we visit the Royal Court at St. Petersburg, maybe go to a party?" The Doctors asked, flipping a switch back and forth as he spoke.

"We've met royals before though," Aneres shot him a mischievous grin, "Unless you want to go visit Queen Victoria?" She cackled at the Doctor's face, now a pale white with a grimace on it.

"I'm good, thanks, just thought you might want to go dancing again. Last time we danced was with Reinette and the time before that was centuries ago," The Doctor stared wistfully at the monitors. Aneres blushed at the thought and walked over to him.

"We haven't gone swing dancing before," She leaned in to whisper in his ear, "how does that sound? Maybe we go see Elvis perform and go to a dance club afterwards?"

"That sounds like it could be fun," He turned to look into her eyes, and brushed a stray curl from her face, "You go get dressed, I'll plug everything in."

His lips split in a grin as she gave his cheek a quick peck before dashing off to their rather large closet to select an outfit.

TEotOS

Aneres shimmied out of her casual clothes for that day, a simple t-shirt and jeans, and then started wandering the closet for the 50s section. Finally her eyes landed on several colorful a-line dresses, skirts and some beautiful blouses.

"There we are! Now, Sexy, what do you suppose I would look best in?" She asked, rifling through the garments with ease. Polka dots, flowers, stripes, swirls, all of the patterns gleamed with excitement that tempted Aneres to the point where she could not make a decision. That is, until something started rattling further down the rack.

The Time Lady wandered over to the jiggling item, and gasped at the garment she had found. A starlet swing dress the color of blush pink gleamed under the light of the Tardis. Sitting on the floor below its place on the rack was a pair of heeled Mary Janes made of a navy blue patent leather. She positively beamed at the complete outfit and immediately grabbed all the components to go change into them.

Once everything was comfortably situated on her body Aneres turned to stare at her reflection in the mirror. She swayed side to side for a moment before doing a full twirl and giggling as the skirt billowed up and fluttered around her legs.

"Absolutely perfect, thank you Sexy. Now, jewelry."

TEotOS

"Annie, let's go!" The Doctor shouted as he landed the Tardis. He quickly finished combing his hair into a Teddy-boy quiff before grabbing a white crash helmet and some shades from the console.

"Be patient, I'm almost ready!" She shouted back as she fastened a pearl necklace around her neck and inserted some pearl earrings into her ears. Her heels clicked against the grating of the Tardis' floor while Aneres did one more turn in front of the mirror. "Perfect."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, excitement getting the better of him, and pushed the Tardis doors open to make way for the blue Moped that he mounted immediately after. He grinned as he revved the engine and rode it out into the secluded alleyway where he had parked, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of the breeze on his face. He did a few circles before stopping as Aneres exited the Tardis, a wondrous sight to behold.

"Wow…" His eyes roamed her figure as he removed his sunglasses, "You look stunning darling." The Doctor's mouth transformed to a smug grin as Aneres blushed in response.

"You're not too bad yourself, dreamboat," She purred, sauntering over with her own special grin on her face. "C'mon, let's go see Elvis!" The Doctor laughed and kissed her cheek as she climbed onto the Moped and wrapped her arms around his middle.

"I was thinking we'd go to Ed Sullivan TV Studios," The Doctor started steering them through the crowded city streets, "Elvis did Hound Dog on one of the shows. There were loads of complaints. Bit of luck, we'll just catch it."

"And that's in New York right?" Aneres questioned, frowning as lots of Union Flags started cropping up around them

"That's the one," The Doctor replied. He turned his attention back to the road only to slam his feet on the brake as a red double decker bus drove past them. Aneres let out a soft oof as he body was slightly slammed into his from the sudden stop. She looked up and giggled at the sight of Union flags between every house in sight.

"So, perhaps you missed the mark ever so slightly?" He pouted at her remark and slumped slightly.

"Well, this could still be New York," Aneres raised an eyebrow at his defense, "I mean, this looks very New York to me. Sort of Londony New York, mind." He wilted even further as a couple walked past them, their British accents clear as day.

"Well, we love London, and it's not like there won't be any swing clubs," The Time Lady looked around, "Let's go for a drive, see if we can't stumble across one." The Doctor nodded and started the moped up again.

TEotOS

The Doctor and Aneres drove for a short while before pulling off onto a residential street to take a break. Turns out, mopeds were not the most comfortable things in the world to ride on for very long. Once they both had clambered off, they decided to approach a nearby man in order to get an idea of what year they had landed in.

"There you go, sir, all wired up for the great occasion," The man was finishing up the sale of a television as they approached and flashed his customer a happy smile before turning away.

"The great occasion? What do you mean?" The Doctor asked, his arm entwined with Aneres' as they stopped right in front of him.

"Where've you been living, out in the Colonies? Coronation, of course," The man, Magpie, they assumed after glancing at the truck, replied.

"What Coronation's that then?" The Doctor asked. Aneres shook her head slightly.

"_You are incredibly thick, there was only one Coronation in England during the 50's,"_ Aneres snarked mentally. The Doctor rolled her eyes at her comment before turning his attention back to Magpie.

"Oh! Is this 1953?" He asked with slightly false excitement. Magpie nodded once with a large smile.

"Last time I looked. Time for a lovely bit of pomp and circumstance, what we do best," Aneres nodded at the salesman's reply. From what she'd seen after centuries of going to Earth there was no country better than Britain at pomp and circumstance. She then stared glancing around the neighborhood only to frown.

"Look at all the TV aerials," The Doctor followed her finger as she pointed them out, "Looks like everyone's got one. That's weird. Sarah Jane said tellies were so rare they all had to pile into one house." Aneres looked over at Magpie as he started shaking his head.

"Not around here, love. Magpie's Marvellous Tellies, only five quid a pop," He replied before clambering off into his truck and driving away.

"Oh, but this is a brilliant year. Classic! Technicolour, Everest climbed, everything off the ration," The Doctor pulled Aneres closer as they continued up the street, "The nation throwing off the shadows of war and looking forward to a happier, brighter future."

A scream cut through the air, dampening the Doctor's mood and forcing them to look further up the street as a man was being dragged from his home with a blanket over his face. Aneres' eyes widened and she broke into a run, the Doctor not far behind as they approached.

"Someone help me, please! Ted!" The man's wife shrieked as he was bundled into a waiting car by the curb. "Leave him alone! He's my husband! Please!"

"What's going on?" The Doctor shouted.

"Yeah, what has he done wrong?" Aneres cried out, glaring at the burly men. Her head turned slightly as a teenaged boy sprinted out of his own house and joined them.

"Oi, what are you doing?" He shouted as he blocked the leader with his skinny body.

"Police business. Now, get out of the way, sir, ma'am," The leader replied before pushing past them and getting into the car with his cohorts and the poor detainee.

"Who was that man? Do you know him?" Aneres asked, turning to the teenager and grabbing his shoulders.

"Must be Mister Gallagher," He replied, his eyes locked on the car as it started to drive away, "It's happening all over the place. They're turning into monsters."

"Tommy!" They all turned to a man with dark hair and eyes standing in the doorway that the boy had run out of, "Not one word! Get inside now!"

"Sorry. I'd better do as he says," Tommy replied before rushing back inside, avoiding eye contact with the man all the while.

"C'mon Annie, we might be able to catch up with them!" The Doctor shouted, his hand grabbed hers to tug her back to the moped. Once situated, the Doctor quickly sped up and started chasing the black vehicle down like a hound with a fox.

TEotOS

In the end, their attempt was for naught as they rounded the same corner as the other vehicle only for it to have disappeared, with only a vegetable stand in sight.

"Lost them. How'd they get away from us?" The Doctor mused with a frown. Aneres sighed.

"Well it looks like we've found yet another cover-up," She muttered before dismounting the moped and stretching her legs for a bit.

"Men in black? Vanishing police cars? This is Churchill's England, not Stalin's Russia," The Doctor pointed out. Aneres straightened her back and rolled her head a little to stretch her neck.

"That boy, Tommy, he seemed to know at least a little bit about what's happening. We should go ask him," Her Tether nodded in agreement and readjusted his helmet.

"Good idea, let's go," Aneres hopped back on with barely a moment to adjust before they were speeding off again.

TEotOS

Aneres hopped off of the moped almost as soon as they parked and took a moment to fix her dress and hair after riding around so quickly. The Doctor also took a moment to tidy his suit a bit before he offered his arm. She took it with a smile and approached the house with him. They rang the doorbell and waited until the man from earlier opened the door.

"Hi!" They chorused, bright smiles flashing up at him. The Doctor slowly reached into his pocket for his psychic paper while Aneres simply stood still and smiled.

"Who are you, then?" The man behind the threshold demanded, glaring at the two of them suspiciously.

"Let's see, then. Judging by the look of you, family man, nice house, decent wage, fought in the war, therefore we represent Queen and country," The Doctor rambled before holding up the psychic paper, "Just doing a little check of Her forthcoming Majesty's subjects before the great day. Don't mind if I come in? Nah, I didn't think you did. Thank you."

Aneres and the Doctor pushed past the man into the front room, frowning at the sight of a very timid woman and an equally alarmed Tommy.

"Not bad. Very nice. Very well kept," The Doctor looked around the room, "I'd like to congratulate you, Mrs?" his voice trailed off as he turned back to look at the woman perching on a chair in the corner.

"Connolly," She answered. Aneres smiled at her and held out her hand.

"Absolutely wonderful to meet you Mrs. Connolly. My name is Annie, I apologize for my husband's rambling." Mrs. Connolly waved away the apology and returned the smile tentatively as she shook Aneres' hand. However, the smile disappeared as her husband reentered the room.

"Now then, Rita. I can handle this. This gentleman's a proper representative. Don't mind the wife, she rattles on a bit." Aneres and the Doctor's faces turned stony at the comment and their spines stiffened slightly.

"Well, maybe she should rattle on a bit more," Mr. Connolly gave the Doctor a puzzled glance, "I'm not convinced you're doing your patriotic duty. Nice flags. Why are they not flying?"

"There we are Rita, I told you, Get them up. Queen and country," Mr. Connolly snapped, glaring at his wife. He didn't notice Aneres' eyes sharpening to narrow slits of barely concealed fury as they gazed upon him.

"I'm sorry," Rita whispered before standing and grabbing the string of flags. Aneres moved forward to help, only to be blocked by the Doctor's grip on her arm.

"_Let me help her, she doesn't deserve this,"_ She muttered across their connection.

"_I agree, so let me do something about it,"_ The Doctor replied silently. Her eyebrow raised but she sighed and stopped trying to move forward.

"Get it done. Do it now," Mr. Connolly continued to snap.

"Hold on a minute," The Doctor said gently, only to be ignored.

"Like the gentleman says."

"Hold on a minute. You've got hands, Mister Connolly. Two big hands. So why is that your wife's job?" Aneres grinned slightly as the Doctor started to tear into Mr. Connolly and sent Rita a wink. The woman gaped at the two of them like a fish.

"Well, it's housework, innit?"

"And that's a woman's job?"

"Of course it is," Aneres barely suppressed a sneer at Mr. Connolly's words.

"_Whatever you're planning to do, I'd suggest doing it before I break his nose,"_ She snarled mentally. The Doctor took a slow, deep breath before he continued.

"Mister Connolly, what gender is the Queen?" He demanded. Mr. Connolly looked confused, but replied all the same.

"She's a female."

"And are you suggesting the Queen does the housework?"

"No. Not at all," Mr. Connolly stammered, his face flushing a deep red at the Doctor's remark. Tommy, still sitting just behind everyone, joined his mother in gaping at the scene before them.

"Then get busy," The Doctor spat out as he passed the flags over from Rita to her husband.

"Right. Yes, sir. You'll be proud of us, sir. We'll have Union Jacks left, right and centre." Aneres turned to stare at Mr. Connolly.

"I'm sorry Mr. Connolly, but I believe you meant the Union Flag. The Union Jack is only flown at sea," She said, a sugary sweet politeness coating her tongue.

"Oh. Oh, I'm sorry, I do apologise," He stammered out, his deep red flush darkening with each passing second.

"Right then! Nice and comfy, at Her Majesty's leisure," The Doctor took a seat on the sofa, followed by Aneres, "Union Flag?"

"You're not the only one that picks up random factoids you know," She winked at her Tether before smoothing her skirt out and turning her attention back to the humans around them.

"Anyway, I'm the Doctor and this is Annie, and you are Tommy, right?" The Doctor asked, staring at the young man opposite him.

"Yes sir," He replied, a shy smile on his face.

"Well, sit yourself down, Tommy. Have a look at this," The Doctor watched him sit down and then looked over at the television, "I love telly, don't you?"

"Yeah, I think it's brilliant."

"Good man!" The Doctor turned to send Mr. Connolly an indulgent smile, "Keep working, Mister C! Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong?" The last bit of his statement was directed towards Rita, who Aneres had been watching very carefully.

"Did you say you were a doctor?" The timid woman asked. The Doctor nodded gently in response and leaned in to hear her slightly better.

"Yes, I am," He murmured.

"Can you help her? Oh please, can you help her, Doctor?" Aneres' brow furrowed as Rita's voice became desperate and Mr. Connolly started listening in.

"Now then, Rita. I don't think the gentleman needs to know," The Doctor cut him off.

"No, the gentleman does." Aneres moved to kneel in front of Rita and took her hands within her own.

"Hey, hey, it's going to be alright. We won't say a word to anyone, we'll just help and then be on our way," She whispered soothingly while her hands gently massaged Rita's. It was at that moment the poor woman burst into tears. Aneres sighed sadly and moved one of her hands to rub Rita's back gently.

"Hold on a minute. Queen and country's one thing, but this is my house!" Mr. Connolly looked down mid-rant and stared at the flags as if he was seeing them for the first time, "What the? What the hell am I doing?" He threw down the flags and marched over to them, "Now you listen here, Doctor. You may have fancy qualifications, but what goes on under my roof is my business."

"A lot of people are being bundled into-" The Doctor winced as Mr. Connolly began to shout over him while Aneres shot him a dark look as his wife sobbed harder.

"I am talking!" His shout was thunderous and cause a normally well composed Aneres to stand up, quick as a light, and snarl at him.

"And we're not listening! Now, Mr. Connolly, you are looking at a broken nose at the very LEAST if you don't stop terrorizing your family, my husband and myself, so for God's sake, TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON!" She shrieked, her eyes fiery emeralds and her hands clenched at her sides. Rita and Tommy gaped at her while the Doctor was practically shining with pride and Mr. Connolly looked like he was about to piss himself. And then came the noise.

_Thump. Thump. Thump. _All of them turned their heads up to the ceiling, the fear in the Connolly family mounting ever higher.

"She won't stop. She never stops," Mr. Connolly eventually croaked out as he looked back down at the still fuming woman before him.

"We started hearing stories, all round the place," Everyone turned to look at Tommy while he spoke, "People who've changed. Families keeping it secret because they were scared. Then the police started finding out. We don't know how, no one does. They just turn up, come to the door and take them, any time of the day or night."

"Show us," The Doctor demanded as he stood up. Aneres turned back to Mr. Connolly with a dark smirk.

"Well, you heard him."

TEotOS

The five of them slowly climbed the stairs until they reached the first room at the top of the landing. Tommy then took the lead and inserted the key into the lock. His fingers slowly turned it until a click sounded and he was able to open the door.

Inside, the room was dark and contained minimal furnishings along with a stationary figure. Tommy spoke up gently.

"Gran? It's Tommy. It's all right, Gran. I've brought help," He whispered before flicking the lights on. The Doctor and Aneres gasped at the sight of the figure that had once been Tommy's grandmother. The both of them moved forward, the former with the sonic screwdriver in hand.

"Her face is completely gone," The Doctor murmured. He brought the screwdriver up to her skull and allowed it to scan the elderly woman, "Scarcely an electrical impulse left. Almost complete neural shutdown. She's ticking over. It's like her brain has been wiped clean."

"What're we going to do, Doctor? We can't even feed her," Tommy's voice cracked slightly as he fought past the lump in his throat. Aneres sent him a sad look before turning back to his grandmother and tried to ascertain the damage.

_CRASH. _Rita gasped as the front door caved in. Aneres immediately whipped around and pulled her and Tommy away from the bedroom doorway. Once they were tucked away she shut the door and moved the nearby nightstand in front of it as well as her own body as a barricade.

"I hope you have a plan darling, otherwise your investigation is about to be cut very short," She groused as her ears picked up the sound of the men making their way upstairs.

"It's them. They've come for her!" Rita cried out in despair.

"Quickly. What was she doing before this happened? Where was she? Tell me. Quickly, think!" The Doctor shouted at Tommy.

"I can't think! She doesn't leave the house! She was just-" Tommy was cut off as the door thumped loudly. Aneres winced and continued to hold it shut.

"Annie move!" The Doctor shouted, but the door crashed open a moment later. Aneres yelped as she was forced out of the way, the motion causing her to roll her ankle slightly.

"Hold on a minute," The Doctor attempted to distract the men who had entered, "There are three important, brilliant, and complicated reasons why you should listen to me. One-" Aneres screamed as the leader from earlier decked the Doctor right across the face and sent him falling to the floor.

"Doctor!" Her shout was drowned out as Rita and Tommy yelled at the police and attempted to retrieve their Gran from them. She scrambled over and started shaking him frantically. _"You idiot wake up!"_ There was no response from their mental connection.

Until he popped up like a fresh daisy. "Ah, hell of a right hook. Have to watch out for that!" The Doctor scrambled to his feet and ran out to the moped. His fingers danced across the controls as his eyes stayed locked on the departing vehicle.

"Annie, come on!" Aneres looked up at the shout and pulled herself upright, only to wince at the twinge of pain the shot through her ankle. She leaned against the wall as she began trying to leave the house, and did make it all the way down the stairs before something gave her pause.

A spark of red energy that closely resembled lightning was snaking through and around the television set in the living room. She frowned and walked over to the set, kneeling in front of it to get a better view. In the background the Doctor, Tommy, Rita and Mr. Connolly were bickering away, until eventually the Doctor drove off after the car and the Connollys came back inside.

"Dad, they took her! That was Gran and they took her!" Tommy cried out.

"Come on, back inside, now," His dad ordered. He ushered his wife and son back into the living room and glared at Aneres' figure as she continued to inspect the television.

"You! Get the hell out of my house!" The Time Lady turned to regard the man with visible distaste.

"So rude to a lady, tsk tsk. I would've thought your mother taught you manners, but I suppose not." And with that, she dashed off into the street as best she could with her aching ankle.

TEotOS

The bell hanging above the doorway to Magpie's Electrics rang out clear as day, confusing poor Magpie until he saw Aneres enter the establishment.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss. I'm afraid you're too late. I was just about to lock the door," He explained while Aneres crossed the shop floor to stand in front of his desk.

"Yes, well, since the Coronation is tomorrow I need to get a telly tonight. I've been meaning to for a while and my poor family will be so disappointed if they don't get to see it," She explained, her voice once again adopting that same sugary sweet tone.

"Come back tomorrow, please," Magpie whispered.

"But that still leaves me with the same problem, and you'll be closed anyways," Aneres reminded him with a pout.

"What?" His voice rang with confusion.

"The Coronation, everyone will be closed for it."

"Yes, yes, of course. The big day. I'm sure you'll find somewhere to watch it. Please go."

"Well, how about I take one tonight and swing by with the money the day after the Coronation? After all, you're practically giving them away to half of London."

"I have my reasons."

"Well, I'd be very interested to hear them since this all seems very arbitrary." Aneres paused as the telly next to her switched on to display a woman shouting.

"Hungry! Hungry!" The Time Lady raised her eyebrow and turned back to Magpie.

"And who's that?" She whispered.

"It's just a television. One of these modern programmes. Now, I really do think you should leave. Right now!"

"Not until you explain your reasonings. How come your televisions are so cheap?" Aneres demanded.

"It's my patriotic duty. Seems only right that as many folk as possible get to watch the coronation. We may be losing the Empire but we can still be proud. Twenty million people they reckon'll be watching," He paused to run his hand down his face, "Imagine that. And twenty million people can't be wrong, eh, so why don't you get yourself back home and get up, bright and early, for the big day."

"Oh Magpie, I'm not leaving till you give me a better explanation. After all, we both know that's not the real reason."

"I need to close," He pleaded. The Time Lady leaned in and sneered at the man before her.

"Mister Magpie, something is going on and you know more than you're claiming to because the only thing in common amongst the poor families that are being attacked is a television. Your television. What's going on?" Aneres demanded, her hands once again closing into fists.

"I knew this would happen. I knew I'd be found out," Magpie walked over to the door and locked it softly. Aneres tensed, praying she could break the shop window if she needed to escape.

"What's really in it for you?" Aneres asked, thinking that a change in wording would lead to answers.

"For me? Perhaps some peace."

"From what?"

"From her." Aneres frowned and looked back over at the woman on the telly.

"She's just a moving picture-" The woman on the telly cut her off.

"What a lovely lady," She crooned, her eyes roaming Aneres' body hungrily.

"Of course there's an alien involved," Aneres whispered as she turned to face the telly, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Unseasonably chilly for the time of year, don't you think?" The woman asked. Aneres' face darkened further.

"I won't ask again, who are you, and what are you doing here?"

"I'm the Wire, and I'm hungry!" Aneres screamed as the red tendrils of energy shot out mere seconds before she could even try to escape. Burning pain seared across her face and mind, devouring every inch of what it could touch and slowly leaving her an empty shell.

"Help!" Her voice ripped through her vocal cords, making Magpie wince in pain and pity.

"Just think of that audience tomorrow, my dear, all settling down to watch the coronation. Twenty million people. Things will never be the same again. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Magpie continued to stand away from her, and merely watched as her body stiffened and her voice slowly trailed off to a desperate croak.

"Goodnight, children, everywhere," The Wire quipped, grinning as she eventually released Aneres and allowed Magpie to throw her out into the street, where she wandered for a short while. Unable to think, to speak or to eat.

**I will say, getting the flu makes it easier to update this story! It does suck though and I hope to be updating at full health in a few days. Please leave a review, I love to get them. Comments, questions, concerns, those can all be included in one or you can PM me as well! Thank you for reading and have a lovely evening! Bye bye!**

**-Angel**


	22. The Idiot's Lantern: Stolen

The Doctor stared up at the police detective that had detained him after he successfully tracked down their base of operations silently.

"Start from the beginning. Tell me everything you know," The detective demanded. He leaned forward and braced himself on his desk as he stared the Doctor down. The Time Lord merely rolled his eyes before speaking.

"Well, for starters, I know you can't wrap your hand around your elbow and make your fingers meet."

"Don't get clever with me," Another eye roll from the Doctor, "You were there today at Florizel Street, and now breaking into this establishment. Now you're connected with this. Make no mistake." The detective claimed, slamming his hand on the desk as he spoke.

"Well, the thing is," The Doctor twisted slightly to look at the neck of the detective, "Detective Inspector Bishop." He trailed off as the other man spoke up.

"How do you know my name?" Suspicion bled from him as the Doctor just shrugged.

"It's written inside your collar," Bishop reddened and straightened to adjust his shirt, "Bless your mum. But I can't help thinking, Detective Inspector, you're not exactly doing much detective inspecting, are you?" The Doctor accused, his eyebrows almost meeting his hairline in his amazement at the man's ineffectiveness.

"I'm doing everything in my power," Bishop attempted to defend himself.

"All you're doing is grabbing those faceless people and hiding them as fast as you can," The Doctor held up his hand as Bishop started to retort, "Don't tell me orders from above, hmm? Coronation Day. The eyes of the world are on London Town so any sort of problem just gets swept out of sight."

"The nation has an image to maintain." The Doctor scoffed while Bishop stared at the floor.

"But doesn't it drive you mad, doing nothing? Don't you want to get out there and investigate?"

"Of course I do. But, with all the crowds expected, we haven't got the man power," Bishop ran his hand down his face, "Even if we did, this is beyond anything we've ever seen. I just don't know anymore. Twenty years on the force, I don't even know where to start. We haven't the faintest clue what's going on."

"Well, that could change."

"How?" Bishop asked, his voice long turned helpless and pitiful in tone.

"Start from the beginning. Tell me everything you know," The Doctor ordered as he stood up from his chair. Bishop sighed and gestured for the Doctor to follow him over to a map on the wall behind his desk.

"We started finding them about a month ago. Persons left sans visage. Heads just blank," He explained. The Doctor examined the map for a moment before picking up one of the many files Bishop had on the issue and thumbing through it.

"Is there any sort of pattern?" He asked, his fingers fishing a pair of reading glasses from his ever growing suit pockets.

"Yes, spreading out from North London. All over the city. Men, women, kids, grannies. The only real lead is there's been quite a large number in-"

"Florizel Street," The Doctor finished. Bishop nodded in response but the opening of the door behind them distracted the detective.

"Found another one, sir," Another policeman called out as he pushed a figure into the room, their head and most of their body covered by a blanket. The Doctor turned and froze slightly, a feeling of dread starting to flow in his like freezing water. He stepped closer, noting the height of the figure, and praying it wasn't who he thought it was.

"Oh, er, good man, Crabtree. Here we are, Doctor. Take a good look. See what you can deduce," The Doctor barely registered Bishop's words as he stared down at the blush pink skirt and navy blue shoes peeking out at him.

"_No… No no no…"_ The Doctor's mind raced at a million miles a minute as it tried to connect to his Tether's mind. _"No no no no no." _Their connection was nowhere to be found.

That couldn't be. Their connection couldn't just be gone, it couldn't be. His breathing picked up, his fingers started to shake.

"_No no no no no,"_ He felt his windpipe closing with each passing millisecond. The air rushed away from him, the world crumbled away from his feet.

As the blanket rose to reveal a pink starlet dress, a pearl necklace, and raven locks of hair, the Doctor felt his soul leave his body and his mind begin to unravel like a poorly knitted scarf. He couldn't have held back the soft cry at the sight of his Tether standing there without her beautiful face if he tried. Nor the impulse to rush forward cup her cheeks in his. Nor the desperate mutterings his mouth expelled as he surveyed the utter destruction that something had wreaked upon the one person his soul could not survive without.

"Annie," The Doctor eventually croaked out. His body was beginning to fail him as he continued to stare at the shell that had been left behind. His leg muscles were reduced to a shaking jelly. His fingers trembled like the silver leaves on Gallifrey in a windstorm. And all the while, his mind further tumbled into a whirling sea of fear and despair.

"You know her?" Bishop asked.

"Know her? She-" The Doctor's voice died in his throat. Aneres was his everything. She was the burning inferno at the center of every beautiful star he had ever seen. She was the cliff face that he had always clung to as the crashing waves of horror and pain crushed his body and soul. She was the light of a warm flame that caressed his skin with comfort and left his mind forever branded by her unforgettable self. She was his universe. His Tether.

"They found her in the street, apparently, over by... Square, abandoned," The Doctor twitched as he began to register the words of Crabtree and Bishop.

"That's unusual. That's the first one out in the open. Heaven help us if something happens in public tomorrow for the big day. We'll have Torchwood on our backs then, make no mistake."

"They did what?" The Doctor's voice scraped past his vocal chords like nails on a chalkboard.

"I'm sorry?" Bishop asked.

"They left her where?" His voice grew stronger, and was tinted with an emotion that neither of the two men could place.

"Just in the street," Bishop answered slowly. The Doctor's spine straightened ever so slightly, and his jaw tensed visibly. The two policemen took a step back.

"In the street. They left her in the street," The sea became a burning forge. His eyes seared with a malicious promise. His fingers cracked as his hands moved from her face to tighten into fists. "They took her face and just chucked her out and left her in the street. And as a result, that makes things simple," The Doctor removed the glasses from his face and snapped them in half. The fragments fell to the floor. "Very, very simple. Do you know why?" He turned to stare at Bishop and Crabtree.

"No," Bishop whispered, fear evident in his face as he regarded the positively burning man before him.

"Because now, Detective Inspector Bishop," The Doctor was no longer present. There is no power _IN ANY UNIVERSE_ that can stop me. Come on!" The Oncoming Storm had arrived. And he was going to _destroy_ whatever had dared to make him their enemy. Whatever had dared to take away his Tether.

TEotOS

The Oncoming Storm slammed the door to the warehouse open, ignoring everything else as he stalked across the stone courtyard to the gate. Bishop lingered for a moment, staring up at the sky as the sun crept across it.

"The big day dawns," He whispered. A moment later he heard the crash of the gate opening and ran after the furious Time Lord, who had only one destination in mind. Florizel Street.

TEotOS

Tommy frowned as he heard someone knock, no. Pound their door as loudly as possible. He rushed out to see the Doctor standing on their porch without Aneres, and fury cloaking him like a shroud of violence and poison.

"Tommy, talk to me," The Oncoming Storm snarled, "I need to know exactly what happened inside your house." Tommy gulped and opened his mouth, only for his father to cut him off.

"What the blazes do you think you're doing?" Mr. Connolly shouted. Detective Inspector Bishop winced as the Doctor's knuckles turned an impossible white.

"I want to help, dad," Tommy pleaded. He stared up at his father who's face contorted into a sneer.

"Mister Connolly-" The man cut the Doctor off.

"Shut your face, you, whoever you are. We can handle this ourselves," The Oncoming Storm left out a soft growl at Mr. Connolly, "Listen, you little twerp. You're hardly out of the blooming' cradle, so I don't expect you to understand. But I've got a position to maintain. People round here respect me. It matters what people think."

Tommy's eyes widened in realization. "Is that why you did it, dad?"

"What do you mean? Did what?"

"You ratted on Gran. How else would the police know where to look, unless some coward told them?" Tommy's words spurred Mr. Connolly to grab his son by the collar in a rage, with spittle flying from his lips.

"How dare you! Do you think I fought a war just so a mouthy little scum like you could call me a coward?" He screamed, shaking his son violently. The Oncoming Storm watched silently, his own rage growing and bubbling up faster than any chemical reaction.

"You don't get it, do you? You fought against fascism, remember? People telling you how to live, who you could be friends with, who you could fall in love with, who could live and who had to die. Don't you get it?" Tommy pushed his father away as he shouted, "You were fighting so that little twerps like me could do what we want, say what we want. Now you've become just like them. You've been informing on everyone, haven't you? Even Gran. All to protect your precious reputation."

"Eddie is that true?" Rita whispered as she moved to stand in the doorway. Her mouth was hanging open in horror and disgust as she stared at her husband.

"I did it for us, Rita. She was filthy. A filthy, disgusting thing!" Eddie shouted, earning even more hatred from the people standing around him.

"She's my mother. All the others you informed on, all the people in our street, our friends," Rita continued, her face contorting into its own furious expression. The Oncoming Storm resisted the urge to scream at them as each second passed without him finding whatever had taken Aneres away from him.

"I had to. I, I did the right thing."

"The right thing for us or for you, Eddie?" Rita turned to her son, "You go, Tommy. Go with the Doctor and do some good. Get away from this house, it's poison. We had a ruddy monster under this roof, all right, but it weren't my mother!" And with that, the door slammed shut. Eddie gaped at where his wife had been standing, while the Doctor reached out and grabbed Tommy's hand before dragging him away.

"Tommy, tell me about that night. The night she changed," The Oncoming Storm ordered.

"She was just watching the telly," Tommy whispered, struggling to keep up with him as his strides only quickened in pace.

"Annie said it. She guessed it straight away. Of course she did," The Doctor released Tommy's wrist in order to look at the roofs of the houses, "All these aerials in one little street. How come?"

"Bloke up the road, Mister Magpie, he's selling them cheap." The Oncoming Storm stared at Tommy for a moment before breaking into a dead sprint up the road and around the corner. Bishop and Tommy gaped for a moment before taking off after him, fearing for Mister Magpie's safety as each second passed without the Doctor in their sights.

TEotOS

The Oncoming Storm's lips parted into a sadistic grin as he approached the shop, only to find the door locked. A deep growl escaped him as he searched for anything useful, his eyes eventually landing on a brick.

Detective Inspector Bishop and Tommy arrived a few seconds later, just as the brick flew through the glass window in the door. The screech of shattering glass drowned out their reprimands while the Oncoming Storm only focused on getting inside. His grin widened as he managed to flip the lock and throw the door open; and then immediately made his way inside.

"Shop! If you're here, come out and talk to me!" The Doctor stormed over to the desk and started beating the little bell to death, "Magpie!" He screamed, his eyes alight with madness and an explosive fury.

"Maybe he's out," Tommy breathed out, shrinking away from the vengeful god before him.

"Looks like it," The Doctor ripped drawer after drawer open until his eyes landed on what looked to be a portable television. "Oh, hello. This isn't right. This is very much not right. Tastes like iron. Bakelite. Put together with human hands, yes, but the design itself. Oh, beautiful work. That is so simple," The Doctor grabbed his sonic screwdriver from his pocket, his entire body shaking with his rage at that point.

"That's incredible. It's like a television, but portable. A portable television," Bishop commented with wonder in his voice. He watched as the Doctor began to scan it with his sonic screwdriver.

"It's not the only power source in this room," A zap sounded as all of the blank monitors turned on to reveal a different face on each of them. Tommy stared at them silently, until he noticed one elderly woman mouthing "Help me!".

"Gran?" He whispered, his fingers reaching out to graze against the screen.

The Oncoming Storm crossed the room, each step sounding a muffled thud on the wooden floor. His eyes locked onto the screen in the bottom left corner, on his reason to live. He didn't register falling to his knees until a sharp pain shot through them, and brought him back to reality. She was there. She was screaming. He couldn't get to her. He could only trace the lines of her perfect face as she screamed silently.

"I'm so sorry, and I'm going to save you. I promise," The Doctor whispered, the tiniest amount of his rage fading as his brain processed the fact that she was still alive. She wasn't gone forever. He hadn't failed her completely.

"What do you think you're doing?" And just as quickly as Magpie entered, the Doctor's rage returned.

"I want my Tether restored, and I think that's beyond a little backstreet electrician, so tell me, who's really in charge here?" His hands latched onto Magpie's collar and pinned him against the wall, "Tell me!" The Doctor's screams reverberated through the room.

"Yoo hoo! I think that must be me," The Doctor turned to stare at the Wire, "Ooh, this one's smart as paint."

"Is she talking to us?" Bishop whispered fearfully.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, I'm afraid you've brought this on yourselves," Magpie gestured to the telly, "May I introduce you to my new friend?"

"Jolly nice to meet you," The Wire said with a sickly sweet smile.

"Oh my God, it's her, that woman off the telly," Bishop rambled as he took a step back.

"No, it's just using her image," The Doctor pushed Magpie away as he snarled.

"What? What are you?" Tommy demanded with a shaky voice.

"I'm the Wire, and I will gobble you up, pretty boy. Every last morsel," Her image started to turn from black and white to color, "And when I have feasted, I shall regain the corporeal body, which my fellow kind denied me." Bishop and Tommy gaped at the sight.

"Good Lord. Colour television!" The former breathed out.

"So your own people tried to stop you?" The Doctor deduced.

"They executed me," The Wire turned back to black and white as she spoke, "But I escaped in this form and fled across the stars."

"And now you're trapped in the television," The Doctor finished. The Wire sneered at him.

"Not for much longer."

"Doctor, is this what got my Gran?" Tommy asked.

"Yes, Tommy. It feeds off the electrical activity of the brain, but it gorges itself like a great overfed pig, taking people's faces, their essences. It stuffs itself." The Doctor took another step closer to the screen.

"And you let her do it, Magpie," Detective Inspector Bishop snapped, glaring at the frightened salesman.

"I had to. She allowed me my face. She's promised to release me at the time of manifestation," Magpie explained.

"What does that mean?" Tommy asked, fear continuing to grow inside him.

"The appointed time. My crowning glory," The Wire hinted with a smug smile. Tommy and Bishop paled at the realization.

"Doctor, the coronation!" The latter shouted.

"For the first time in history, millions gathered around a television set," The Doctor began, only to pause for a moment, "But you're not strong enough yet, are you? You can't do it all from here. That's why you need this," He held up the portable television, grinning at the displeasure on the Wire's face, "You need something more powerful! This will turn a big transmitter into a big receiver."

"What a clever thing you are! But why fret about it?" The Wire gave them all a sweet smile, "Why not just relax? Kick off your shoes and enjoy the Coronation. Believe me, you'll be glued to the screen."

The Doctor didn't have time to react as the Wire's tendrils lashed out from the screen and latched onto his face. He bit back a scream as the exact pain that had devoured the love of his life sprinted through his consciousness, taking chunks out of everything it could.

"Hungry! Hungry! The Wire is hungry! Ah, this one is tasty. Oh, I'll have lashings of him! Delicious!" The Wire cackled through her mocking cries.

The Doctor groaned as he forced his rapidly stiffening body to reach into his pocket, the sonic screwdriver just out of reach.

"Ah! Armed. He's armed and clever. Withdraw! Withdraw!" The Wire shrieked, her tendrils releasing the three men, all of whom collapsed to the floor.

"The box, Magpie! The box!" Magpie scrambled over to grab the portable television from the Doctor's limp grasp. He winced at the sight of Detective Inspector Bishop without a face, but shook his head and stood before the Wire.

"Hold tight," The Wire zipped into the device in Magpie's hands, "Conduct me to my victory, Magpie." He nodded and broke into a sprint out of his shop, and down the streets of London.

TEotOS

The Doctor popped into a sitting position, immediately noticing Bishop and Tommy's respective states. "Tommy, wake up. Tommy, come on!" He shouted as he hoisted himself up to his feet.

"What happened?" Tommy coughed out.

"Where's Magpie?" The Doctor asked, looking around for a moment before he grabbed Tommy's hands and tugged him out the door.

"We don't even know where to start looking. It's too late."

"It's never too late, as a wise person once said. Kylie, I think. The Wire's got big plans. It'll need…" The Doctor looked around frantically, "Yes, yes, yes, it's got to harvest half the population. Millions and millions of people and where are we?"

"Muswell Hill."

"Muswell Hill. Muswell Hill! Which means Alexandra Palace, biggest TV transmitter in North London," The Doctor pointed at the huge tower in the distance as he shouted, "Oh, that's why it chose this place. Tommy?"

"What are you going to do?"

"We're going shopping," The Doctor said before turning back and running into Magpie's Electrics once again.

The Doctor and Tommy started harvesting parts, with the Doctor shouting out his instructions and or requests.

"Is this what you want?" Tommy asked, holding up a large valve. The Doctor popped up and nodded.

"Perfect! Right, I need one more thing," He said, dumping the parts into a box and running out the door with Tommy on his heels. Eventually they arrived at the Tardis, where the Doctor managed to locate the last part he needed. "Got it. Let's go."

Tommy led the Doctor down the winding streets of Muswell Hill, and did his best to prevent the Time Lord from running into lamp posts as he constructed some sort of contraption. Finally he spotted the entrance to Alexandra Palace.

"There!" The Doctor looked up and nodded at Tommy.

"Come on!" He shouted, his free hand diving into his pocket to fish out the psychic paper once again as they approached a guard.

"Wait, wait, wait! Where do you think-" The sight of the paper gave him pause, "Oh! I'm very sorry, sir. Shouldn't you be at the Coronation?" The guard demanded.

"They're saving me a seat!" The Doctor shouted back.

"Who did he think you were?" Tommy asked. The Doctor looked at the paper.

"King of Belgium, apparently," He noted. Finally they reached the control room, where the Doctor slammed the contraption down on a nearby table. "Keep this switched on. Don't let anyone stop you, Tommy. Everything depends on it. You understand?"

Tommy nodded and watched as the Doctor grabbed a large coil of copper wire before rushing out to the transmitter tower.

The Doctor moved as quickly as possible, wrapping the coil around his wrist as he started making his ascent on the tower. He looked down to make sure he was still connected to his contraption, and noticed the guard from earlier shouting up at him.

"You'll get yourself killed up there! Your Majesty!" The Doctor ignored him and continued making his way up, praying he wouldn't be too late and Aneres could be saved. He noticed Magpie several feet higher, along with the Wire.

"Feed me! Oh. Feast. Feasting The Wire is feasting," Magpie attached the portable television to the mast of the transmitters, trying his best to ignore the Wire's words. He looked up from his work to see the Doctor approaching.

"It's too late! It's too late for all of us!" He cried out, completely resigned to the fate they would suffer at the hands of the Wire.

"I shall consume you, Doctor," The Wire snarled, "Just like I consumed that lovely girl last night." The Doctor's eyes narrowed with a renewed fury.

"I won't let you do this, Magpie!" He roared.

"Help me, Doctor. It burns. It took my face, my soul," Magpie sobbed wildly, pain consuming him even further.

"You cannot stop the Wire. Soon I shall become manifest," The Wire gloated.

"No more of this. You promised me peace!" Her accomplice continued to wail, earning an eye roll from the gluttonous alien.

"And peace you shall have," She spat. Magpie let out one last scream as he was atomized, the sound of the Wire's cackling the last one he ever heard. The Doctor, however, only grinned and continued to approach the creature.

"Been burning the candle at both ends? You've overextended yourself, Missis. You shouldn't have had a crack at poor old Magpie there," He let out a shout as he grabbed the television and felt a harsh zap, "Rubber soles, swear by them!" The Doctor laughed as he plugged in his cable, only to pale as nothing happened.

"Oh dear. Has our little plan gone horribly wrong, Doctor?"

Annie. He would never see her again. He'd failed. Tears threatened to fall, he felt the air rushing away from him again, his grip wanting to fail as he realized how he had lost.

But Tommy refused to let that happen. He quickly replaced the fuses in the contraption and crossed his fingers.

The Doctor was shocked from his reverie by the Wire screaming in what seemed like pain.

"No!" She wailed. His grin grew once again, and he slammed down on the button.

"It's closed down, I'm afraid, and no epilogue!" He shouted, laughing as the Wire gae one last scream before the screen went blank and her energy dissipated.

TEotOS

Aneres gasped for air as her face was restored, her hands instinctively reached up to make sure she was okay. She sagged in relief as she realized it was all over, she was okay. And so was everyone else it seemed. Her eyes finally noticed the other people around her, including a certain grandmother.

"Excuse me, are you Tommy Connolly's grandmother?" Aneres asked, making her way over to the woman. She looked up and nodded.

"Does he know I'm okay? Where is he?"

"I believe he's with my husband, and I will bet you anything he's coming back here right now to find you."

She nodded at Aneres and beamed when policemen came over to let them out of their little holding area. The Time Lady took a deep breath of fresh air and looked around the yard as family members started trying to find each other, or ask the police questions.

And then she heard him. Her eyes widened as she heard the Doctor shout in Gallifreyan, as she heard him shout her name.

"_Esha!_" The Doctor cried out, sprinting over to his Tether and gathering her into his arms. She gasped and clung to him tightly, her eyes stinging with tears and fingers white and they tangled into his suit jacket.

"_You found me,_" Aneres pressed her face into his chest, "_You found me_."

"_I'll always find you Esha. I promise,_" The Doctor whispered in her ear as he held her as tightly as possible. Her tears finally fell, the sound of her true name soothing her more than anything anyone else could have said.

TEotOS

That evening, Aneres and the Doctor made their way down to Florizel Street and grinned at the street party that was officially in full swing.

"I love these kinds of parties," She said, waving at the various children and adults that were celebrating left and right. "Everyone gets to be a part of something."

"Exactly. This is history right here, with the most ordinary of people," The Doctor agreed. He stopped at a table to grab each of them an orange juice.

"The Wire, is it trapped for good?" Aneres asked as she took her orange juice from her Tether.

"Hope so. Just to be on the safe side though, I'll use my unrivalled knowledge of transtemporal extirpation methods to neutralise the residual electronic pattern," The Doctor joked. He winced when Aneres glared at him slightly.

"Yes, it's trapped for good. I figured that was the least I could do after what it did to you," He continued. She nodded and seemed to relax a little bit more.

"How scared were you? I mean, you said my _name_. My actual name," Aneres pointed out, "You haven't said it once since you found me."

"For lack of a better word, I felt snapped. Cut off from everything of importance. No air, nothing," The Doctor turned to stand in front of her, "You are the one person I absolutely cannot live without, and while I already couldn't bear losing you in the first place, it felt like a knife to the heart to lose you without ever saying your name. I don't know how I managed to not go after you during the years when you were gone."

"I actually developed a theory for that," Aneres grabbed his hand and pulled him along as she spoke, "I think we were so traumatized, so broken by the War that our minds closed the connection so that we could heal on our own. And then, when I finally caught up, they were able to start connecting again."

"That… actually kind of makes sense," The Doctor admitted. A moment later he shook his head. "I just never want to lose you again, alright?"

"Alright," Aneres agreed. She then looked up at the Doctor, and stood up on her tiptoes to press her lips to his. He gave a pleased hum, a gentle smile coming to his lips as the two of them relished in each other's presence and in the soft caresses from each other's lips.

Of course, their moment was cut short as Tommy ran over with a blinding grin. The Doctor gave a slight grunt as Aneres pushed him away and turned her attention to the young man.

"How's your Gran, is she feeling better?" She asked while giving Tommy a brief hug.

"Much, thank you both," Tommy began, but a certain sight gave them pause. Eddie Connolly was leaving the Connolly home, his bags packed and his hat atop his head. "Good riddance," He continued.

"Agreed, he's rather horrid," Aneres ruffled his hair. Tommy grinned at the Time Lady and shook hands with the Doctor, who seemed to have suddenly remembered something.

"Tommy, how about you keep the scooter? We've got plenty at home, and you did help save the world," The Doctor offered. Tommy nodded excitedly, bringing smiles to the Time Lords as they gave him the keys and helmets.

"Just make sure you don't show it off too much, it's a bit early in history for those," Aneres warned.

"I got it," Tommy turned to watch his father walk away, "Should I go after him?"

"Only if you think it's right," Aneres took a deep breath, "But keep in mind, people like him usually don't change for the better." Tommy nodded and continued to watch his father walk away.

"I'm gonna stay with Gran and Mum," Tommy decided.

"And that is perfectly undertsandable," The Doctor said, clapping Tommy on the back a few times. "Now, run on home. I think we all need to enjoy some time with our families."

Tommy beamed at them before turning back and going over to Rita and Gran. Aneres smiled at the three of them, and gave Rita a wave before turning and heading home with her Doctor. Her Tether, her universe.

**Hello again! My parents have had me on bedrest cause of my flu, so all I've been doing is writing this story which I am loving a lot! I wish that it could be like this all the time, but unfortunately tis not possible. However, I truly do hope you enjoy this chapter, and please leave a review with your questions, comments, concerns, or a PM! I love hearing from you guys, and I'm loving where this story is going!**


	23. Entwined

Aneres sighed in delight as she entered her and the Doctor's bedroom while the latter put the Tardis back into the Vortex. She sat down on the bed and began undoing the fastenings on her shoes, followed by her necklace and earrings which she placed on top of her nightstand. Once everything was situated, she leaned back onto the soft comforter and let out another sigh. Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment as all of the tension in her muscles evaporated and she sunk further into the mattress.

"Esha?" The Doctor called out, causing Aneres to open her eyes. She turned her head slightly to see him leaning against the doorframe with a smile on his face.

"Hey," She replied with a smile. Her arms moved back slightly to prop her body upright. "Care to join me?" Aneres patted the space next to her.

"You know, I think I will," The Doctor said. He pulled off his suit jacket as he approached, the garment falling to the floor with a soft thump. Finally, he flopped onto the bed and gathered Aneres into his arms. The Doctor took a deep breath and pressed his nose into her hair, the scent of her soothed him as he continued to inhale it.

Several minutes passed before Aneres spoke again.

"While I am comfortable, it might be better if I got out of this dress," She suggested as she wiggled out of the Doctor's arms to sit up again. Her fingers went back to attempt to undo the clasp at the top of the zipper, only to fumble and slip. "Do you mind helping me?" Aneres whispered, her eyes locked on the ground and ears turned red.

The Doctor's eyes widened and he swallowed audibly as Aneres pushed her curly hair away from her neck and back to reveal the troublesome clasp and zipper. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and reached out, his hands shook ever so slightly as he did so until he had firmly grasped each side of the clasp. With a soft click, it became undone leaving only the zipper as an obstacle. "Stand up," The Doctor murmured.

Aneres did as he bid and stood up with her back to him. He followed her motion and swallowed audibly as he started to pull down the zipper. Their breathing increased as more of Aneres' skin was revealed with each passing second. The Doctor paused when he reached the end of her shoulder blades, where the back of her bra was revealed to his hungry gaze. Lace-trim the color of sapphires embellished the black silk garment and the Doctor gasped slightly as a tightness started to form just below his waist.

He didn't realize he had leaned forward until his lips connected to the skin just below Aneres' right ear. The Time Lady stiffened as the sensation sent ripples of pleasure that made her skin tingle and form goosebumps. The Doctor waited for a moment before he nuzzled her skin and pressed another gentle kiss to it just below the first one. This time, Aneres released a soft moan from the back of her throat and relaxed into his touch. He pulled her body close and moved one of his hands to splay across her middle while the other pushed her hair out of the way so he could ravish the left side of her neck.

"Mm, Theta," Aneres gasped as her body shuddered under his ministrations. The Doctor hummed against her skin while his lips pressed open-mouthed kisses down her neck until he reached her collarbone, where he began to suck at the sensitive patch of skin just above it. Another moan escaped Aneres and her eyes closed as her body absorbed every thrill of pleasure as it ran through her. The Doctor pulled his lips away from her neck, his breath still warm against the flushed skin, while his hands moved down to grip her hips tightly.

"Want me to keep going?" He asked. The feeling of his breath against her ear with each word heightened her arousal, stoked the inferno of heat within her, made her want him more than she ever had before. Aneres spun in his arms and her hands came up to cup his face, her dilated orbs stared into his own and burned with boundless passion.

"I want you Theta, more than anything," She whispered. The Doctor stared at her, his eyes darkened, and before either of them could say another word, his lips pressed to hers. Aneres moaned loudly as her lips slid and molded to the Doctor's in a passionate tango and her hands rushed up to grip his shoulders tightly. The Doctor's hands moved from her hips to grab the zipper, and his fingers immediately ripped it open before they splayed across the newly exposed skin of her lower back. His lips continued to move against hers, and his fingers trailed up and down her back slowly.

"Esha…" The Doctor moaned into the kiss as his hands came up to her shoulders to tug at the sleeves of her dress, "Let's get this off." Aneres pulled away, her eyes were slightly glazed as she stared at him while taking a step back.

"Take a good long look," She purred as her hands came up and started pulling her dress down. Her fingers trailed against the soft, milky skin of her bust, stomach, and finally, her hips as the dress dropped to the floor to reveal the rest of her body. "See something you like?" She asked as the Doctor openly gaped at her exposed body.

"Not something, everything," The Doctor walked over to her and kneeled, "Everything about you is everything I could ever want," He whispered as his hands trailed up and down her legs from ankle to hip, with the occasional brush against the waistband of her lace-trimmed g-string. A low growl escaped him as he stood and hooked his hands under Aneres thighs to pick her up. She yelped in surprise and wrapped her legs around his waist as he lifted her up and pinned her against the wall.

"God, you're beautiful," He muttered as he slammed his lips against hers once more. The air was filled with their moans and breathing. Their hands roamed over skin and clothing in a frantic dance to feel more sensation, more pleasure. Aneres' fingers traced a burning pattern on the Doctor's skin over his shirt until they stumbled upon the fastened buttons and began attempting to undo them. The Doctor shivered as she unhooked the first button and immediately pulled her lips from his. He let out a loud moan as she leaned down and latched onto the exposed skin of his neck, ravishing it with her lips, teeth, and tongue. His body leaned forward and pressed hers further into the wall while his hands moved from her hair to her breasts, cupping them both and relishing in the weight they held.

Aneres gasped at the sensation and arched into his hands, her own snaking back under his arms to continue undoing his shirt buttons while her lips pressed fervent kisses to his neck and jaw. She whined as the Doctor began kneading her right breast while his free hand dropped to knead her arse.

"Theta… Oh God," She gasped as his fingers found her nipple and pinched it through the fabric. A variety of expletives streamed from her lips while he continued his ministrations which continued to feed her arousal until she could feel distinct wetness at the apex of her thighs. The Doctor noticed too and began to trail a finger down from her breasts, past her stomach, until he was a hairsbreadth away from where she wanted him most.

"I need to taste you," He whispered. Aneres' eyes snapped open as he pulled them away from the wall and set her on the dresser opposite their bed. She wriggled for a moment and bit down on her lip as she eagerly watched her Tether remove his shirt to unveil his lean and sinewed torso. Once the shirt was safely thrown into a corner, the Doctor moved to stand just in front of the dresser and his eyes locked onto hers. She cocked her head to the side with a grin on her face and beckoned him closer with a crook of her finger.

"C'mere," Aneres whispered, "I don't bite."

"Oh, but I will," The Doctor growled before he lunged forward and began ravishing her neck until mottled love-bites started marking his path down her neck until he reached her sternum. His hands moved to her back and fidgeted with the clasp of her bra until a soft snap signaled its undoing. He pressed his lips to her collarbone once more, licking, sucking and biting while his fingers slowly moved to her pebbled nipples.

"Please, Theta," Aneres begged, arching her back in a desperate request for more sensation as her thighs rubbed together with a need for more friction. The Doctor smirked and moved one of his hands down to force her legs apart and slotted himself between them. His other hand, however, began pleasuring her left breast with nimble fingers that pinched, squeezed and rolled in that delightful way that made her breathy and euphoric.

Her moans grew in volume, only to turn to wails and whines of delight as he leaned down to take her abandoned nipple in his mouth. His tongue swirled and flicked across the sensitive peak repeatedly, eliciting louder cries from his Tether that only grew as he switched to nipping at the skin with his teeth and occasionally sucking on it fervently. Before he knew it, her hand was in his hair, tugging at it as her whole body shuddered beneath him, even the parts he hadn't paid the least amount of attention to.

"God Esha," He pulled away from her chest to start kissing his way down her stomach until he reached the waistband of her panties. Her face glowed with pleasure, her breathing was labored, everything thing about his Tether screamed need and desire, specifically the need only he could fulfill. The Doctor settled into a kneeling position, his face only a few inches away from her twitching pussy that overflowed with her own wetness. His fingers moved to hold her thighs in place as he pressed open-mouthed kisses to them, leaving the occasional love-bite on the way as he made his way up to her core, only to pass it by and go down the other thigh.

"Theta, please," Aneres begged. Her whole body shuddered as the Doctor grinned up at her before blowing gently on her still-covered pussy. A whimper lept from her lips as she arched her back and attempted to wriggle closer to him. The Doctor chuckled and slowly moved one of his fingers to gently trace her pussy over the fabric of her g-string.

"Someone's needy today," He murmured. The stain on the fabric grew as she continued to pulse with wetness in time with the almost unbearably light touches he was bestowing upon her. Finally, he too grew impatient as his cock strained against the confines of his boxers and he reached up to rip the fabric completely off of her.

The sight of her pussy with its ebony curls was almost enough to make the Time Lord cum in his pants, but not quite. Instead, he started firmly stroking her slightly exposed clit with two fingers while his eyes looked upwards at Aneres' face as her eyes screwed shut with pleasure. Each passing second caused his fingers to glisten as they were coated in her sweetness until he couldn't restrain himself anymore and dove down to lick and suck at that sensitive ball of nerves.

"Oh God," Aneres chanted as her body started vibrating from the intense waves of pleasure the Doctor forced through her. Her chest bounced with each breath she took while her pussy twitched and clenched under the Doctor's tongue as it lightly flicked against her clit. "Theta," She whined while her hips bucked slightly.

"Yes, darling?" The Doctor asked as he pulled away from her pussy reluctantly.

"I need more," Aneres whispered as she adjusted herself a bit, only to smack her head on the wall slightly. "Ouch."

The Doctor bit back a small snicker, albeit unsuccessfully. A small chuckle escaped, followed by a few more. "I'm sorry," He chuckled again, "I'm sorry."

"You are so rude," Aneres said with eyes full of mirth and a grin on her face, "So very very rude!" She hopped off the dresser and tackled the Doctor to the floor where she peppered his face with kisses in between their giggles and laughs. The Doctor grinned before flipping them over and pressing his lips to hers again.

"I might be rude, but you still love me," He murmured in between kisses, while Aneres' hands ran through his hair and tugged at it gently.

"Mm, indeed. I love you more than anything in the world," She replied as her eyes shut in delight. The Doctor broke their way to kiss his way down her body once again, and also to leave some more love-bites.

"Now, where was I?" He asked as he pushed her legs apart to move between them. His hands moved to the small of her back while her legs hooked over his shoulders.

"Exactly where you need to be," Aneres breathed. The Doctor pressed a kiss to the inside of her thigh before diving back in like a beggar at the feast. His tongue swirled around her clit, nibbling and sucking every so often before he moved down to her opening and dipped his tongue inside. A bolt of pride shot through him as Aneres' arched higher than ever and let out another moan. The Doctor wasn't distracted for long though and merely continued feeling smug as his tongue continued to pleasure every inch of her it could reach and brought his Tether to new heights of euphoria.

"Theta, Theta, Theta" She chanted, her voice rising in pitch as the Doctor moved his tongue back to her clit but slipped a finger inside her twitching pussy. He grinned and curled his finger inside her as he pumped them in and out slowly. "Faster, please," She begged as her walls contracted around him.

"As you wish," The Doctor whispered. He gently lowered her body down so she was fully laying down on the floor before he started moving his finger, first slowly but quickly speeding up. Aneres' hips instinctively ground down on his hand, especially when he added a second finger while he simultaneously started sucking at her right breast and nipple. Her skin tasted absolutely delectable as he nipped at it, and all the Doctor could think about was how delicious every second of this was for both of them. How her pussy was clamped around him like a vice, how her skin was beautifully flushed and painted with a thin sheen of sweat, every sensation urged him to bring his love to completion in that moment, to hear her scream his name so loudly that every star in the universe would hear it.

"Mm, more, please," Aneres moaned. The Doctor bit down on her nipple as he added a third finger and shuddered as her wail of pleasure cut through the sounds of him fingering her like the most beautiful symphony. Each second of his passionate motions brought her closer to her peak, tightening the coil of pleasure that just wanted to explode, to leave her shattered in the most beautiful way imaginable. Aneres' hands moved from the Doctor's hair to his back where they raked up his skin, leaving angry red lines as the pleasure grew to be almost unbearable, as her moans turned to gasps and whimpers in time with his syncopated thrusts, as her back arched once again. The Doctor pressed his thumb to her clit, working it for a few moments before he felt her walls flutter and clamp impossibly tighter.

"Theta!" Aneres screamed. Her vision shattered like a pane of glass dropped on the floor as the pleasure reached an unimaginable height that sent her body shaking into delectable oblivion. Her breathing was labored while her body descended from it's high. Her eyes sparkled, her lips parted, her hands tightened their grip.

The Doctor lifted himself up to watch her face as she rode out her peak, his fingers gently slid out, and his lips pressed a gentle kiss to the right side of her jaw. Once her eyes regained a little focus, he pressed his lips to hers again. He would never grow tired of feeling her kisses, they were the wine he would get drunk on. That and the feeling of making love to her, feeling their minds and bodies join together in the most intimate way possible. Aneres arched her back as she kissed him back, and her legs opened again to beckon him inside.

"You're sure?" He asked, her lips somewhat muffling him with kisses. His Tether broke away for a moment to stare up at him.

"I've never been more sure about anything in this moment," She whispered. The Doctor pressed one last kiss to her lips before standing up and removing his pants, followed by his boxers. Aneres' eyes widened as he stood before her, proud and hungry for her.

"Get on the bed," He said. She nodded fervently and scrambled onto the comfortable covers. The Doctor followed her, his eyes never leaving her as he propped himself up on his forearm while his free hand reached down to guide his cock into her waiting pussy.

Aneres' eyes rolled back as his cock penetrated her, sliding into her depths as easily as he always had and leaving her fuller than she believed possible. The Doctor moaned and rested his head in the crook of her shoulder as he was enveloped in slick, tight, heat that sent shudders of pleasures up and down his spine.

For several moments they stayed still, just absorbing the feeling of being connected again for the first time in ages. The Doctor turned his head to press slow, gentle kisses to her neck, and gasped as she twitched and tightened around him even further.

"Theta," Aneres hands gripped his shoulders again, "Move," She hissed in his ear.

The Doctor leaned forward, his weight supported by his forearms as he began rocking his hips slowly. The both of them moaned while his cock moved in and out with delicious friction that threatened to send them tumbling over yet another peak of euphoria.

Aneres arched her back and moaned as he drove each thrust deep inside her, over and over until she was a whimpering mess again.

His thrusts increased in pace, the pleasure kept mounting inside him. He vaguely picked up the sound of her crying out his name, the feeling of her nails raking down his back, all of it felt as if he was in a bubble, and he was. The Doctor was safely cocooned in the pleasure that tore moans and grunts from his throat as he thrust into the woman he loved. The woman who had moved her hands to his hair and tugged at it roughly as her own pleasure built alongside his. He adjusted his weight to one forearm and brought his free hand down to her pulsating clit. His thumb rubbed against it firmly and he released a louder moan at the sounds that erupted from his Tether as he pleasured her.

"Oh God, oh, Theta," She whimpered. The Doctor growled and moved his hips faster in a desire for more friction, more pleasure, more of her. Aneres cried out as she started ascending to her peak once again, her walls fluttered, her eyes shut.

"Esha," The Doctor pressed his lips to hers, "My Esha." His own eyes closed as the pleasure grew and grew and grew, until he couldn't hold it back anymore. With one last cry, he came, filling Aneres up as she reached her own peak and clutched him tighter than ever before. The Doctor gasped for air as he rode out his orgasm, eventually collapsing to lay atop Aneres who welcomed the comforting weight of his body across hers.

"That…" Aneres sighed happily, "That was amazing." The Doctor nodded at her words and rolled off of her, his own chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

"Yes," He breathed out, "Yes it was." He turned his head to look at her and beamed at the sight of her beautiful face with her absolutely stunning smile looking back at him. "We'll need to do that more often."

Aneres giggled and rolled onto her side so she could snuggle up against him. "Maybe later. For now, I just wanna cuddle," She mumbled, post-sex drowsiness catching up with her as she pulled one of the blankets over them.

"That might be workable," The Doctor jested before pressing a kiss to her hair and pulling her closer.

"I love you," Aneres murmured before closing her eyes and nuzzling into the Doctor's neck.

"I love you too," The Doctor replied as his other came around to hold her. Moments later, his own eyes fluttered shut and the two of them lost themselves to sleepy bliss.

**Sooooooooooooooooooo, now we know why I rated this story M }:). This scene has literally been planned since I started this story and I'm so happy that we made it here! Please let me know what you thought about the smut, any comments or critiques are very much appreciated! Other than that, please continue supporting this story like you awesome humans do and have an awesome rest of your week! **

**-Angel**


	24. The Impossible Planet: How Impossible?

A few days had passed since the Doctor and Aneres had left, and Rose was angry. No, furious. Possibly murderous if you caught her at the wrong moment. Eventually she decided to ask Rose about the woman that was also travelling with the Doctor, and immediately regretted it after a tidal wave of curses and screeches exploded from her daughter in response. Finally, Jackie had to speak up.

"Rose, are you sure he actually feels that way about you?" She slammed a mug on the counter.

"He wasn't leading me on Mum! He loves me, she's just manipulated him away from me," Rose smacked her hand on the countertop, "I'm sure that if I could just get her kicked off the Tardis, it would be fine! After all, he got rid of Adam and Jack, it shouldn't be hard for him to leave her too!"

Jackie turned to stare at her daughter, her brow creased with worry. "Rose, are you absolutely sure about that? From how it sounds, she was taken away from him and he was miserable before he found her and now he's happy again."

Rose looked ready to explode at her mother's words. "Don't you dare side with her Mum! The Doctor would never hurt me like that!"

Jackie shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Rose, I get that you love him, I really do, but the Doctor doesn't seem to realize that and if he does then he really fucked up by not telling you that he wasn't interested sooner."

"But he is interested in me! He loves me!" Rose screamed and pounded her fists on the table. At that point, Jackie had enough.

"Rose Marion Tyler, shut up!" Jackie stormed over until her face was mere inches from hers, "You are not entitled to his love. You are not entitled to traveling with him. You are most certainly not entitled to marrying him, and what's more is you are not a toddler!" Rose winced as her volume grew, "Stop throwing a strop and get over it!"

"You don't get it Mum, you just don't." And with that, Rose ran into her room and slammed the door shut.

TEotOS

The Tardis, however, was peaceful and almost idyllic as Aneres and the Doctor settled back into their lives as a complete couple in every sense of the word for the first time in centuries. They started eating every meal together, with breakfast always in bed and with a long cuddle beforehand. They shuffled around the Tardis and fixed anything that looked out of place for most of their mornings before lunch. Afterwards they would either relax in the library or find something fun to do on the ship until they needed dinner.

Of course, the both of them knew they couldn't keep this going for long. The Doctor had a companion waiting for him back on Earth and decided that after a week had passed since their run-in with the Wire that it was time to retrieve Rose. Aneres was none too pleased to say the least, but agreed in the spirit of compromise.

And so she decided she would pilot the Tardis to the Powell Estate, and the Doctor could go get her on his own. The journey ended up being very short, and ended with them landing four streets away from Rose's home.

"So, is this so that you don't have to see Jackie?" The Doctor asked from his place on the captain's chair. Aneres rolled her eyes and pulled her hair back to tie it into a ponytail.

"Yes and also because I don't fancy calling their neighbor's attention to the time machine that keeps landing in the living room," She flicked a couple switches to power down the Tardis for the moment, "I know that's not something you're worried about, but you really should be."

The Doctor grinned and moved to stand in front of her. "You can be really bossy sometimes, you know?"

Aneres chuckled and leaned in to give the Doctor a peck on the cheek. "Of course I know, I do it because if I don't you'll just run around like a toddler with scissors!"

"I will not!" His tone was positively outraged as his eyebrows shot up.

"Yes you will darling. Now, go get your companion. I'm sure she's quite cross with you after this past week," She murmured. The Doctor sighed and nodded before he grabbed his duster and made his way over to the Tardis doors.

"I'll be about fifteen, maybe twenty minutes?" Aneres gave him a thumbs up and blew him a kiss.

"Love you," She called out. The Doctor grinned and blew her his own kiss.

"Love you too," He replied before walking out the door and towards his companion and her irate mother.

TEotOS

Rose was still in her room when the doorbell rang, leaving Jackie to answer it despite every bone in her body telling her not to. She peered through the peephole and pinched the bridge of her nose as she fought the urge to lock the door and walk away. Finally she gave in to what she knew Rose wanted and opened the door to reveal the Doctor.

"Hey Jackie," He entered the house, "Rose? Rose, I'm back!" The Doctor shouted as he knocked on her bedroom door. Two seconds later, the disheveled blonde revealed herself and immediately wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Oh I missed you," Rose sighed with a smile. She didn't even notice the Doctor not hugging her back, she was so delighted to see him. Jackie noticed though.

"Rose, why don't you go wash up and pack your bags?" The teenager nodded at her mum's suggestion and ran back into her room, the door closing loudly behind her. The Doctor looked over at Jackie with more than a little relief in his eyes.

"You really need to get it through to her that you're not interested," She said, her arms crossed across her chest.

"I've been trying Jackie, but I don't want to hurt her feelings. Besides, I would've thought you'd be on her side of all this." The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her and leaned against the wall.

"I am on her side, just not in the way she wants me to be," She paused to look the Doctor up and down, "She loves you so much and while I want her to be in love and be happy, it's only going to make her worse in the long run." The Doctor frowned.

"What do you mean Jackie?"

"The Rose that I've seen come home after traveling with you for a year? She's not the Rose I raised, not the one who had a near miss with an explosion at the shop," Jackie moved to stand in front of him, "She's turning into someone who can't bear to be around other people that aren't you, and that's bloody terrifying."

The Doctor nodded as she spoke, her words starting to make sense to him. "What do you think is the best thing for her?" He asked, truly sincere in asking her. Jackie's eyes widened in shock at his consideration.

"I mean personally I think she needs help. Professional help," She took a moment to look up at the ceiling in an attempt to calm herself down, "Lord knows I can't help her on my own with this."

"You're right," The Doctor winced as Jackie slugged him in the arm, "Not about not being able to help her, not about that. You're a great mum Jackie, but you're not a psychiatrist. Unfortunately, I'm not either and I don't know many that would be equipped to handle this."

"Well, you better get a crack on and find someone because she needs to stop this sooner rather than later," Jackie snapped. Rose's door opened a moment later, and the Doctor plastered a fake smile on while Jackie puttered off to the kitchen to grab something.

"I've got all my things," Rose said. The Doctor nodded and turned to the opening of the hallway that fed into the living room and kitchen.

"Well, we're off!" He shouted. Jackie returned with a mug of tea in her hands and walked over to hug Rose tightly.

"Have fun, love," She turned to the Doctor and nodded at him before walking away again.

"Well, what are we waiting for then, let's go!" Rose said while she beamed at the Doctor. He nodded with a small smile of his own and followed her out the door.

TEotOS

The Doctor and Rose arrived at the Tardis a few minutes later and were greeted by a loud humming sound emanating from the console. Aneres popped her head out from behind the rotor and flashed a fake smile at Rose.

"Welcome back," She sauntered over to the Doctor and gave him a quick peck on the lips, "The Tardis is getting annoyed, we'd better head out." Her fake smile turned to a smug grin as she breezed past Rose and started putting the Tardis back into the Time Vortex. The Doctor watched her with a small smile before looking back at Rose.

"How about you put your stuff away and we'll let you know when we've landed?" He suggested. Rose nodded once and narrowed her eyes at the Time Lady as she piloted them to who knows where. The Doctor frowned and walked away from her to stand next to Aneres and watch the monitors as they flew. Neither of them noticed the murderous glare Rose was giving her, nor the sting of betrayal behind the rage at the Doctor's dismissal, nor her departure to her own room.

TEotOS

Eventually the Tardis came to a stop inside an incredibly small space, and opened her doors to let Rose and the Doctor out first, followed by Aneres. The two Time Lords frowned at the weak groans the Tardis was making and reached out to pat her doors reassuringly.

"I don't know what's wrong though. She's sort of queasy," The Doctor paused and listened a little longer, "Indigestion, like she didn't want to land," He said. Aneres nodded at his assessment.

"Oh, if you think there's going to be trouble, we could always get back inside and go somewhere else," Rose joked.

"Nah, she's a tough old bird, we'll be fine," Aneres decided while giving the ship one last pat. Rose's smile fell as The Doctor ignored her and nodded at Aneres before he locked the doors.

"I think we've landed inside a cupboard," He turned to see a yellow wheel on the door, "Here we go." Aneres and the Doctor reached out and spun it until the door swung open to reveal a sort of canteen area.

A loud automated voice blasted over the intercom. "Open door 15."

"Some sort of base. Moon base, sea base, space base. They build these things out of kits," The Doctor murmured as he looked around. Aneres nodded and walked over to the panel of windows across from them.

"Close door 15," The intercom droned. Aneres peered out of the windows and scanned the outside with narrowed eyes.

"We need to work on our timing, seems like we've landed in the middle of a storm," She murmured. The Doctor stopped looking around to listen as gusts of wind rattled every inch of the base.

"Glad we're indoors, then," Rose commented as she listened with the Doctor. Aneres turned around to face the two of them with pursed lips.

"We should take a look around, God knows what's going on here." The Doctor nodded and walked over to take her hand in his and lead her to a nearby door with the number sixteen on it. They cranked it open and walked through, the intercom once again narrating their action, with Rose close behind and sporting a magnificent expression of disgust.

"Human design. You've got a thing about kits. This place was put together like a flat pack wardrobe, only bigger. And easier," The Doctor mentioned as they walked down a corridor. Aneres let out a quiet giggle.

"Don't tell me you're still traumatized from the cabinet I made you build from Ikea?" The Doctor shuddered at his wife's words.

"I will never understand why they picked pictographs for the instructions," He grumbled, releasing Aneres' hand to turn another door handle. She followed him inside and looked around the new room, whose walls were embossed with a large number three.

"Oh, it's a sanctuary base," The Doctor said. Aneres nodded while running her fingers across a table as she wandered about the room.

"It must be for Deep Space exploration, which means we're a very very long way out," The Time Lady explained. The Doctor nodded and held up a finger to his ear.

"Someone's drilling, that must be what the people who built this came for," He added. The Time Lords were soon distracted by Rose, however.

"Welcome to hell," Rose breathed out. The Doctor and Aneres rounded on her, disapproval marring their features.

"Oh, it's not that bad," The Doctor replied. Rose shook her head and pointed past him and Aneres at the wall behind them.

"No, over there." Aneres turned and blinked at the sight of 'Welcome to hell' painted in a rather large font on the wall with a long passage of alien writing just beneath it. She frowned as the markings didn't shift into English and walked over to kneel in front of it. The Doctor followed suit and brought a hand up to trace the writing.

"Hold on, what does that say?" Aneres and Rose shrugged, "That's weird, it won't translate." Both women grew even more troubled at his words and leaned in slightly closer.

"But I thought the Tardis translated everything, writing as well. We should see English," Aneres shook her head at Rose's words.

"Not always, which means this writing," She paused to let her fingers rest on a few of the marks, "Is incredibly old."

"No, impossibly old. Which means we need to find out who's in charge," The Doctor stood up as he spoke and darted over to the next door, "We've gone beyond the reach of the Tardis' knowledge. Not a good move. And if someone's lucky enough-"

Aneres gasped as several creatures appeared on the other side of the door and stared at the Doctor. They had tentacles where she would normally find a nose and mouth and a long tube that protruded from them to connect to a white ball that each of them held.

"Oh! Right. Hello. Sorry. I was just saying, er, nice base," The Doctor stammered out with a startled smile. Aneres shook her head and took a careful step forward.

"Doctor, be careful," She warned. The Doctor started to reply but was cut off as all of the creatures spoke in unison.

"We must feed," They chanted, the orbs in her hands glowing brighter as they spoke. Aneres blinked for a second, completely stunned while Rose let out a cross between a groan and a squeak that would have made her chuckle under normal circumstances. The Doctor, however, seemed to lose all of his brain capacity in that moment.

"You've got to what?" Aneres pinched the bridge of her nose and stormed over to pull him away from the door.

"I swear, for all of your fast reflexes you can be thick sometimes," She muttered as she pushed her Tether behind her. He scoffed but allowed her as the aliens began advancing on the three of them.

"We must feed," The aliens repeated. Aneres tensed and grabbed a nearby stool to hold out in front of her.

"Yeah. I think they mean us," Rose whispered while tucking herself behind the Doctor, her fingers coming up to clasp his arm tightly. The Time Lord winced and unwrapped her fingers carefully as he inched away from the aliens, his free hand on his Tether's shoulder.

"Love, I don't want to hurt you by accident," Aneres rolled her shoulder out of his grasp and held the stool up a little higher, "Stand back."

The Doctor frowned and did as she bid despite every fiber of his being telling him absolutely not, not after the Wire, never again, he couldn't let her go. He was distracted though as the aliens filed into the room and extended their orbs towards Aneres. She snarled and jabbed the stool forwards as they continued chanting.

"We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed," The Time Lady looked to each side as more of the aliens flooded the room from other doors. She cursed mentally and grabbed another stool to pass to the Doctor who took it gingerly while also pulling out his sonic screwdriver.

"Rose!" The blonde looked up at Aneres' shout, "Grab a bloody chair and help us!"

Rose glared at Aneres and snagged a nearby chair to hold out in front of her, albeit rather limply. The aliens continued advancing and eventually cornered the trio against a wall at the other end of the room. Aneres moved to swing but the Doctor held her back, praying they could find a way out of this.

"We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed," Aneres frowned as one of the aliens tapped its globe, "You, if you are hungry."

She cocked her head to the side as the Doctor leaned past her to address the alien. "Sorry?"

"We apologise. Electromagnetics have interfered with speech systems. Would you like some refreshment?" Aneres shared a look with the Doctor who started to lower the stool in his hand as well as the sonic screwdriver. She followed suit a moment later while Rose tightened her grip and glared at the aliens.

"That would-" Before Aneres could finish speaking, Door 18 opened and several humans rushed in with guns in hand. She turned to face them and raised her eyebrows at the sheer shock on all of their faces.

"What the hell? How did?" The man at the front of the group walked over to the trio, parting the sea of aliens in his wake. "Captain, you're not going to believe this. We've got people. Out of nowhere. I mean, real people. I mean two living people, just standing here right in front of me."

The Doctor and Aneres shared a glance, completely and utterly confused as another man replied from a comm system. "Don't be stupid, that's impossible."

The man standing in front of the two Time Lords and humans shook his head and spoke again. "I suggest telling them that."

Rose took that moment to speak up as she leaned around the Doctor to get a better look at the man. "But you're a sort of space base. You must have visitors now and then. It can't be that impossible."

"_Apparently it is,"_ Aneres commented to the Doctor mentally as the man raised his eyebrows at Rose incredulously.

"You're telling me you don't know where you are?" He demanded as he took another step closer to them.

"No idea. More fun that way," The Doctor replied with a grin. Aneres rolled her eyes and hit him on the chest, smirking when he released a soft "ow". She turned her attention back to the human in front of her as a woman spoke over his comm system.

"Stand by, everyone. Buckle down. We have incoming. And it's a big one. Quake point five on its way," She ordered. The man cursed under his breath before running to another door.

"Through here, now. Quickly, come on! Move!" The three travelers followed him out the door and winced as various conduits and sheets of metal crashed together above them while they ran down the corridor. Their guide kept shouting over his shoulder at them, "Move it! Come on! Keep moving. Come on! Quickly! Move it!"

Eventually they reached another door and burst through it into a massive control room with several other humans inside. Humans that seemed far too preoccupied with their arrival when someone considered the storm they were currently bracing themselves for. The black man closest to the control panel spoke first.

"Oh, my God. You meant it." A cheery woman a few steps away from him grinned at the trio of newcomers.

"People! Look at that, real people!" She exclaimed in awe. The Doctor looked at his Tether confusedly before holding his hands up in a very small gesture of excitement.

"That's us. Hooray!" He replied. Aneres shook her head at his clear misunderstanding of their awe and raised her hand in a wave.

"Yep, we're real. Flesh, blood, hair, nails, the whole shebang," She commented with a false smile. Rose nodded emphatically behind her.

"Yeah, definitely real. My name's Rose. Rose Tyler. And, and this is the Doctor."

"And I'm Aneres," Rose glared at the Time Lady, "Who are all of you?" Aneres raised her eyebrows as another man spoke up yet ignored her question.

"Come on the oxygen must be offline. We're hallucinating," He checked the readings and gaped before looking back up at them, "They can't be. No, they're real."

"Come on, we're in the middle of an alert! Danny, strap up," The black man gestured to the man who just spoke, Danny, "The quake's coming in! Impact in thirty seconds! Sorry you two, whoever you are. Just hold on, tight."

Aneres nodded and ran over to a line of conduits under the control panel to wrap her arms around them. She looked up as the Doctor followed her example while Rose looked around the room frantically.

"Hold on to what?" She shrieked. The black man rolled his eyes and glared at her.

"Anything. I don't care. Just hold on. Ood, are we fixed?" He looked over at another of the tentacled aliens from earlier who nodded and replied.

"Your kindness in this emergency is much appreciated."

"What's this planet called, anyway?" The Doctor shouted from under the control panel. Aneres winced as another rumble shook the floor and another woman replied.

"Now, don't be stupid. It hasn't got a name. How could it have a name?" Her eyes widened at the complete confusion covering the Time Lords' faces, "You really don't know, do you?"

Aneres didn't have time to reply as a moment later the black man shouted, "And impact!"

The Time Lady yelped as the entire base vibrated and jerked around roughly, the metal crashing against her hips and legs roughly as she held onto the conduits. The Doctor winced as a similar feeling went through him, it really didn't help to be so skinny in situations like this. Thankfully, the sensation was short lived and the vibrations subsided after about five or seven seconds. The Doctor slowly emerged from under the console and looked around the room.

"Oh, well, that wasn't so bad," He commented. A moment later, he winced as several consoles combusted and sent showers of sparks and flames onto the floor of the room. Aneres shook her head as she stood and watched the humans extinguish the fires.

"You just had to jinx it," She whispered, smiling at her Tether fondly. He grinned back and pressed a kiss to her hair.

"All the more reason to have you here to help," The Doctor whispered. Aneres' smile turned coy.

"I'll do more than 'help' once we get back to the Tardis." The Doctor blushed a deep red and forced himself to take a deep breath as Rose ran over from her place under a table. He watched as the humans started running around and checking each other over.

"Okay, that's it. Everyone all right? Speak to me, Ida." The older woman, Ida, looked up at the black man and gave a thumbs up.

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Danny?" Danny held his hand up so it was visible to the man.

"Fine."

"Toby?" A skinny blonde man stood up, his eyes darting nervously around the room before making eye contact with Aneres. She barely spared him a glance as she scanned the rest of the room, but most certainly felt his eyes on her.

"Yeah, fine."

"Scooti?" The cheery woman from before piped up.

"No damage," Her chirping voice grated on Aneres' ears but she did her best to ignore it. The Doctor leaned in to whisper in her ear as they continued taking roll.

"Why do I get the feeling we're somewhere very, very-"

"Very bad?" Aneres finished as she looked up at him. "You're not alone. If I didn't know any better I would say this place does seem to be a hell of some sort given their reactions to our questions."

The Doctor nodded and pulled her close so he could rest his chin on the top of her head. He took a deep breath, just absorbing the scent of his Tether as he tuned back into the humans' conversation.

"The surface caved in," The black man pulled up a schematic of the base, "I deflected it onto storage five through eight. We've lost them completely. Toby, go and check the rocket link."

"That's not my department," Aneres scoffed at Toby's reply and the sheer petulance it carried. She had never been one to tolerate such an irritating behavior from others, but it seemed she was going to have to if they stayed on the base any longer.

"Just do as I say, yeah?" Their leader snapped, watching as Toby glared at them before leaving.

"Oxygen holding. Internal gravity fifty six point six. We should be okay," Ida spoke up as she analyzed some readings on a monitor.

"Never mind the earthquake, that's, that's one hell of a storm. What is that, a hurricane?" Rose interrupted, completely terrified and once again acting out. Aneres looked over at Scooti as she replied.

"You'd need an atmosphere for a hurricane. There's no air out there. It's a complete vacuum."

"If that's true," The Doctor's eyes widened as he listened to his Tether, "then what on Earth is shaking the roof?"

"You're not joking. You really don't know," The trio shook their heads at Ida, glad someone was finally understanding their predicament, "Well introductions. F Y I, as they said in the olden days. I'm Ida Scott, science officer," She pointed at the black man, "Zachary Cross Flane, acting Captain, sir. You've met Mister Jefferson, he's Head of Security. Danny Bartock, Ethics committee."

Aneres looked at each of them as Ida introduced them, only pausing on Danny as he added, "Not as boring as it sounds."

"And that man who just left, that was Toby Zed, Archaeology, and this is Scooti Manista, Trainee maintenance," Ida continued as she walked over to a lever, "And this? This is home."

The ceiling creaked as Ida pulled down the lever that forced several metal panels to separate. Zach looked over at their new arrivals pityingly.

"Brace yourselves. The sight of it sends some people mad." The Doctor led Aneres to the center of the room as the panels fully separated to reveal something utterly horrifying. Sitting in the sky, directly above them, was a black hole.

Aneres surveyed the bright white disc with it's black center in awe, a smile coming to her face as she stared at it. Swirls of red and gray drifted over to it, signals of the destruction it caused. Painful, yet still somewhat beautiful in its own way she supposed.

*That's a black hole," Rose breathed out. Her hands came up to cover her mouth as she looked up at it, torn between awe and complete terror.

"But that's impossible," The Doctor said as he pulled away from Aneres to stare at Zach. The Captain merely shrugged.

"I did warn you."

"We're standing under a black hole."

"Indeed we are," Aneres looked over at Ida, "And somehow in orbit around said black hole."

"Yep," Ida nodded at the Time Lady. She sighed and looked back up, her previous admiration beginning to morph into fear.

"But we can't be," The Doctor stated. His mind had already started racing with implications at Aneres' words. Implications in regards to her safety, his own, and even Rose's if he really thought about it. The Doctor shook his head and tried to remind himself to think about his companion, despite the evident danger he had managed to submerge himself and Aneres in.

"You can see for yourself. We're in orbit," Ida replied with a gesture at the collapsing star.

"But we can't be," The Doctor repeated, desperately hoping that if he said it enough times he could find an alternate explanation and Aneres would be safe. After all, it was hard to stay safe around the impossible.

"This lump of rock is suspended in perpetual geostationary orbit around that black hole without falling in. Discuss," Ida snapped back. The Doctor took a deep breath and looked back up at the glass.

"And that's bad, yeah?" The Time Lord's almost didn't acknowledge Rose's question, but the Doctor found himself rambling anyways. It distracted him from the very very real possibility of life threatening danger to spout facts and theorems. Always had.

"Bad doesn't cover it. A black hole's a dead star. It collapses in on itself, in and in and in until the matter's so dense and tight it starts to pull everything else in too. Nothing in the universe can escape it. Light, gravity, time. Everything just gets pulled inside and crushed."

"And that's why he's about to have an aneurysm," Aneres joked. The Doctor took a deep inhale of her scent again, knowing humor was her own coping mechanism and trying to look past it.

"So, they can't be in orbit. We should be pulled right in," Rose murmured. She felt herself starting to go numb at that realization.

"We should be dead," The Doctor whispered. Aneres flinched and clutched his hands tightly in hers.

"And yet here we are, beyond the laws of physics. Welcome on board," Ida commented with just a bit of a sarcastic drawl towards the end. Normally, Aneres would appreciate such a tone and the person that used it. However, finding out you had very little chance of surviving a very real situation was a bit of a damper in this case.

"But if there's no atmosphere out there, what's that?" Rose asked as she pointed upwards.

"Stars breaking up. Gas clouds. We have whole solar systems being ripped apart above our heads, before falling into that thing." Rose looked close to tears or a panic attack at Ida's explanation.

"So, a bit worse than a storm, then."

"Just a bit."

"Just a bit, yeah." Rose was unable to take her eyes away from the sight above her for several minutes. She only looked away when she realized Aneres and the Doctor had moved away from her to speak in hushed tones at a table. Every fear melted away to be replaced by a white hot fury, a fury that only grew as she witnessed the Doctor press a tender kiss to Aneres' temple.

Before Rose could walk over to interrupt, Toby returned as sullen as when he left. Zach looked over at him expectantly.

"The rocket link's fine," Toby replied as he took a seat. Zach pulled up a hologram moments later of the system their planet and black hole resided in and beckoned the crew and trio of travelers over.

"That's the black hole, officially designated K three seven Gen five," He explained while pointing at part of the diagram.

"In the scriptures of the Falltino, this planet is called Kroptor, the bitter pill. And the black hole is supposed to be a mighty demon. It was tricked into devouring the planet, only to spit it out, because it was poison," Ida added.

"The bitter pill. I like that," Rose commented, glaring at Aneres. The Time Lady was her own personal bitter pill, a pill she would rather crush than force herself to endure. Aneres sent her a wink and smirked, much to Rose's frustration.

"We are so far out. Lost in the drifts of the universe," The Doctor turned back to face the crew, "How did you even get here?!"

"We flew in. You see, this planet's generating a gravity field. We don't know how. We've no idea," Zach pulled up more of the diagram, "But it's kept in constant balance against the black hole. And the field extends out there as a funnel. A distinct gravity funnel, reaching out into clear space. That was our way in."

"You found a gravity funnell next to a black hole and just, what, flew in?" Aneres demanded with wide eyes and furrowed brows.

"By rights, the ship should have been torn apart. We lost the Captain, which is what put me in charge," Zach admitted. Ida reached over and patted his back gently.

"You're doing a good job."

"Yeah, well, needs must."

"But if that gravity funnel closes, there's no way out," Danny pointed out, earning a playful grin from Scooti.

"We had fun speculating about that," She replied.

"Oh, yeah. That's the word. Fun," Danny muttered. The Doctor shook his head and moved closer to the diagram.

"But that field would take phenomenal amounts of power. I mean not just big, but off the scale!" He looked over at Zach and Ida while gesturing to the controls, "Can I?"

"Sure. Help yourself," Ida replied. Aneres watched as the Doctor worked, muttering numbers and theories under his breath like a crazed prisoner. She looked at the crew with a fresh stab of pity in her heart. Five minutes there and the Doctor was already panicking, how could those people cope?

TEotOS

After several more minutes of mumbling from the Doctor he looked back up and walked the crew through a more complicated part of the diagram. "There we go. Do you see? To generate that gravity field, and the funnel, you'd need a power source with an inverted self extrapolating reflex of six to the power of six every six seconds."

Aneres frowned at the repeating number. She felt an itch in the back of her mind as she thought about it. The Doctor and Rose's voices faded as she raked through her mind, trying to remember anything she could about repeating sixes. Other than it was impossible in this sort of situation. By the time she tuned back in, the Doctor was giving Zach a very tight hug.

"Oh, human beings. You are amazing! Ha! Thank you," The Doctor cheered. He blushed at Aneres' raised eyebrows but remained focused on Zach.

"Not at all," Zach replied slowly, his eyes filling with alarm as the Doctor's face darkened as quickly as it had lit up just moments ago.

*But apart from that, you're completely mad. You should pack your bags, get back in that ship and fly for your lives," He snapped, glaring at the humans and their occasional stupidity.

"You can talk. And how the hell did you get here?" Ida retorted, her arms crossed across her chest as she stared the Doctor down.

"Oh, we have a rather marvelous ship-" Aneres began.

"It's hard to explain, it just sort of appears wherever," The Doctor finished, beaming with pride at the thought of his beloved Tardis.

"We can show you, we parked down the corridor from er. Oh, what's it called? Habitation area-" Rose trailed off.

"Three," The Doctor and Aneres answered. Rose nodded.

"Three. Three." Zach frowned at them.

"Do you mean storage six?" He asked slowly. Aneres returned his frown, confused.

"It was a bit of a cupboard, yeah. Storage six. But you said. You said-" The Doctor froze as the air seemed to choke him mid-sentence. Aneres' eyes widened as she came to the same realization.

"You said storage five to eight," She whispered, horrified as she took off in a sprint with the Doctor not far behind.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Rose shouted as she tried to catch up to the Time Lords. Aneres barely registered her words, let alone replied as she forced herself through door after door while panic started clouding her mind.

"Open door 19. Close door 19," The comm system was quiet now, all Aneres and the Doctor could hear was their frantic breathing.

"Open the door! Come on!" the Doctor shouted as he and Aneres struggled to turn the handle on another door.

"Open door 17," They kept running, "Open door 15. Door 16 out of commission."

Aneres almost cried right then and there as she peered out a window and into a deep crevasse. The Doctor gasped for air and slammed his hands on the door violently.

"It can't be. It can't be!" He snarled, terror and anger bubbling in every vein and artery. Aneres' eyes didn't move from the sight that lived beyond the window as she struggled to accept what had happened.

"What's wrong? What is it? Doctor, the Tardis is in there. What's happened?" Rose demanded as she finally caught up.

"The Tardis is gone," The Doctor growled, barely containing his fury as the intercom kept repeating "Door 16 out of commission". He took a deep breath and pulled Aneres into a hug. "The earthquake. This section collapsed."

"But it's got to be out there somewhere," Rose shouted before rushing over to the small window in the door. The Doctor shook his head and tightened his grip on his Tether.

"Look down." And Rose did, she looked down on the oblivion to which they had lost the Tardis. She looked down, and she knew once again what fear felt like.

**Hello everyone! Sorry for being gone for a month, we've had a lot of changes here at home along with our shelter in place order. One change I'm incredibly excited for is the newest addition to our family, our new cat! She's absolutely gorgeous and I have been enjoying all the time I get to spend with her as I do my schoolwork from home. Anyways, thank you for reading this chapter! Please review with questions, comments or concerns and I hope to get another chapter out soon! **


	25. The Impossible Planet: Possessions

It was official, Aneres could not stand this crew, this planet, the gigantic black hole, none of it. Not only had they refused to divert the drilling so that the Tardis could be rescued, apparently the drilling was a rather slow process and they were pretty much stuck there for a very much unforeseeable future. And so, Aneres went off to explore; particularly to see if she could find something that might explain the Ood's strange behavior. The Doctor joined her, of course, and Rose decided to come along as well despite every sentiment related to distaste emanating from Aneres when she decided to do so.

"So, where do you think they keep the Ood?" Aneres asked. She looked up at the Doctor who shrugged.

"They probably have their own barracks or shelter," He pondered. Aneres nodded and grinned when they turned the corner and almost ran right into an Ood. "Well, how about you ask him?"

"Hello," Aneres took a step closer to the Ood, "We were wondering where the Ood live on the base, would you mind telling us?"

The Ood blinked at them before its small white orb lit up and it spoke. "The Ood reside in Ood Habitation, which can be found if you go down that corridor," It pointed behind itself, "And make two rights and a left."

"Thank you very much," Aneres replied with a smile. The Ood blinked back before replying.

"He is awake." The Time Lady froze, completely flabbergasted, as did her Tether and his human companion.

"Come again?" The Ood continued staring at her and repeated itself, and then some.

"He is awake, and you will worship him." Aneres watched the alien carefully as it stopped speaking for a moment. She winced as its orb lit up again. "The Beast and his Armies will rise from the Pit to make war against God."

The Doctor stepped forward and tugged Aneres behind him. "What?"

Rose winced as the Doctor glared at the alien and its apparent threat against his wife. She moved forward to rest a hand on his arm, a kind smile materializing on her face, but stopped when Aneres' head snapped to the side and the Time Lady fixed her with an icy glare. Rose snarled at the Time Lady, but said nothing as the Doctor continued questioning the Ood; who seemed to have no recollection of what he said. She frowned, however, when her mobile rang and pulled it open to answer it.

"Hello?" Rose asked quietly. The Doctor looked over with a raised eyebrow.

"He is awake, and you will worship him." Rose gasped and stared down at her mobile in horror at the demonic voice that rasped through her mobile. The Doctor glared down at the device and stormed down the corridor with Aneres in tow and Rose struggling to keep up.

"_Theta, calm down, we're going to be fine,"_ Aneres crooned mentally. The Doctor twitched slightly as fear and terror ran rampant in his mind and body. His blood felt like ice water while his skin could've been a million degrees and no matter what he did he couldn't stop imagining all of the possible things that could happen to Aneres.

"_I'm not going to believe that until you're safely on the Tardis, Esha"_ He snapped back, his grip on her hand tightening. Aneres sighed and shook her head.

"_You mean until we're safely on the Tardis. I'm not going to leave you, you know that." _She raised an eyebrow at the unease in the Doctor's mind. _"I'm not, and you most certainly can't make me."_

"_What if it would keep you safe? To leave without me?" _The Doctor demanded, glancing down at her with a fierce protectiveness. Aneres shook her head.

"_Doesn't matter. I lost you once, I'm never losing you again,"_ She replied, a glint in her eyes daring him to challenge her proclamation. The Doctor sighed in frustration but didn't say anything as they finally arrived in Ood Habitation. Danny looked up from a monitor as they entered.

"Evening," The Doctor greeted with a stiff nod. Aneres followed suit but added a minute and mostly false smile.

"Sorry to interrupt, hope you don't mind," She said. Rose gave an awkward wave from behind the couple, which Danny reciprocated.

"The mysterious trio. How are you, then? Settling in?" The Doctor moved to stand right in front of Danny with Aneres standing just behind him.

"Yeah. Sorry, straight to business, the Ood how do they communicate?" Danny raised an eyebrow at the seemingly obvious answer which caused the Doctor to roll his eyes, "I mean, with each other."

Danny nodded and led them over to the edge of the platform. "Oh, just empaths. There's a low level telepathic field connecting them. Not that that does them much good. They're basically a herd race. Like cattle."

Aneres turned to stare at Danny. "This telepathic field. How easy is it to access?" Danny frowned in confusion and Aneres continued, "Your Ood keep saying very odd and frankly disturbing things, and I think something is influencing them."

"And then I got something else on my er, communicator thing," Rose interjected. Danny scoffed at the two women and shook his head.

"Oh, be fair. We've got whole star systems burning up around us. There's all sorts of stray transmissions. Probably nothing. Look, if there was something wrong, it would show," He gestured at another monitor, "We monitor the telepathic field. It's the only way to look after them. They're so stupid, they don't even tell us when they're ill."

The Doctor frowned and inspected the screen which just read 'Basic Five'. "Monitor the field. That's this thing?"

Danny nodded, "Yeah. But like I said, it's low level telepathy. They only register basic five." The Doctor stiffened as the reading started climbing to Basic 7, then eight, nine and so on.

"Well, that's not basic five," Aneres commented, "That says Basic 30. Is that even remotely possible if the telepathic field is naturally so low?" She tensed as all of the Ood raised their heads to stare at the four of them on the platform.

"But they can't," Danny muttered as he clicked some buttons on the monitor to refresh the feed. The Doctor followed Aneres' gaze and clenched his jaw as the Ood kept staring up at them.

"Doctor, the Ood. What does basic thirty mean?" Rose asked, her voice shaking slightly. The Doctor ignored her, though, and remained staring back down at the Ood. Danny looked over at the blond and sighed.

"Well, it means that they're shouting, screaming inside their heads." Aneres shook her head and looked down at the Ood with pity. The Doctor took a deep breath.

"Or something's shouting at them," He suggested. Danny frowned and looked between the Doctor, Aneres and Rose.

"But where is it coming from? What is it saying? What did it say to you?" He demanded. Aneres looked over at him, turning away from the Ood as she spoke.

"The Beast and his Armies will rise from the Pit to make war against God." Danny paled at her words and started trembling. Aneres looked back over at the Ood while the Doctor was lost in thought.

"Yeah, something about the beast in the pit," Rose repeated lamely. Danny turned back to look at her.

"What about your communicator? What did that say?" He asked.

"He is awake," Rose replied. The Ood straightened and shouted as one.

"And you will worship him." The Doctor blinked before his face darkened and his lips twisted into a snarl. Danny stared at the Ood in shock.

"What the hell?" He whispered. Aneres took a deep breath and refused to let her eyes stray from the tentacled aliens in front of them. The Doctor opened his mouth a few seconds later.

"He is awake." The Ood continued staring at the Time Lord as he spoke.

"And you will worship him." Aneres let out a sigh as the Ood gave the same reply all at once.

"_Well, that's not good,"_ She whispered to the Doctor mentally. Her Tether nodded and leaned against the railing above the Ood.

"Worship who?" All four of them stiffened when the Ood refused to reply and just stared up at them, "Who's talking to you? Who is it?"

"I don't think they can answer," Aneres commented as the Doctor kept repeating his question. "What if the thing talking to them hid its name or actual self from the Ood as protection?"

The Doctor nodded. "That does seem to be the case here, unfortunately. Are they still reading Basic 30?"

Danny leaned to the side to check the monitor. "Yeah, yeah still Basic 30."

"Let us know if that changes, okay?" Aneres ordered. Danny nodded and moved to stand closer to the monitor and watched it closely. The Time Lady turned back to look at the Ood, just knowing that whatever was screaming at them was more dangerous than it seemed. A few seconds later, she was proved right.

The base started rattling, causing crashes and grating from the metal paneling of the base. Aneres wrapped her arms around the railing and held tight as alarms started sounding. The Doctor followed suit, one arm wrapped around the railing and one around his Tether. Rose let out a shriek as the rattling turned to rocking and sent her stumbling around on the floor. Danny gripped his desk until his fingers turned white and winced as the alarms grew louder.

"Emergency hull breach. Emergency hull breach," The intercom blared. Aneres tensed and looked up at the Doctor.

"_Seems like we just keep having bad luck,"_ She whispered across their connection.

"_This isn't bad luck. Something is here," _The Doctor watched Danny as he flicked through readings in an attempt to locate the breach, _"And it's looking to hurt someone."_

"_Yeah, that seems about right," _Aneres grunted as a particularly rough jolt sent her head crashing into the railing. The Doctor pulled her closer to tuck her head into the crook on his shoulder while maintaining a death grip on the railing. Rose let out another shriek as she fell on her side and was unable to brace herself. Zach suddenly spoke over the intercom, forcing the four of them to look up.

"Everyone, evacuate eleven to thirteen. We've got a breach. The base is open. Repeat, the base is open!" He shouted. Danny immediately leapt to his feet and ran from the room at the order, shouting for the Time Lords and Rose to follow him. The three of them managed to stumble across the room after a second before clambering down the corridors. Doors opened and slammed shut as they ran through room after room until they arrived at Habitation Three.

"I can't contain the oxygen field. We're going to lose it," Zach explained over the intercom. The Doctor and Aneres took deep breaths as they calmed down, ignoring Rose and her increasingly distressed breathing as well as Danny for the moment. Once they were breathing normally, they looked over at the two of them.

"You two okay?" Aneres asked absently while walking over to the alien writing from earlier. Rose forced herself to calm down and snarled at the Time Lady.

"Like you actually care," She snapped. Aneres raised an eyebrow while the Doctor sent Rose a warning glare. "Why didn't you try to help me earlier when the base started shaking?"

Aneres shook her head and looked back over at the writing. "You're not my companion, which means I have zero responsibility for you. How about you ask your Pilot?"

Rose looked as if she'd been slapped and turned to gaze at the Doctor, who only had eyes for Aneres. She felt another piece of her heart rot away at the sight and turn into a poisonous tendril of jealousy and rage. Her hands clenched and her fingernails pressed little half-moons into her palm as she held back the torrent of abuse that wanted to leave her lips so very very badly. However, she and the others were distracted as other members of the crew poured into the room from different doors, Jefferson among them.

"Come on! Keep moving!" The soldier shouted while ushering in some other guards. "And you too, Toby!"

Aneres listened as the intercom announced the breach had been sealed, and looked over as Toby entered the room. He was pale and shaking with watery eyes and fidgeting fingers as he took a seat at a nearby table. The Doctor started checking everyone over once the last crew member entered.

"Everyone all right?! What happened? What was it?" The Doctor demanded as he moved around the crowd of crew members. Jefferson eventually responded as he caught his breath.

"Hull breach. We were open to the elements. Another couple of minutes and we'd have been inspecting that black hole at close quarters." Aneres frowned and looked over at the Doctor.

"A quake couldn't cause that kind of damage or last that long, so what created the breach?" The Doctor shrugged and looked over at Jefferson who simply shook his head. Zach echoed over the intercom a moment later.

"We've lost sections eleven to thirteen Everyone all right?" Jefferson finished counting how many crew members were there.

` "We've got everyone here except Scooti," Jefferson held his comm up to his mouth, "Scooti, report. Scooti Manista? That's an order. Report."

Zach continued speaking over the intercom, "She's all right. I've picked up her biochip. She's in Habitation three. Better go and check if she's not responding. She might be unconscious."

Jefferson nodded and walked around Habitation Three. The Doctor shared a look with Aneres before they both started following him. As they walked, Jefferson spoke.

"Habitation three. Come on. I don't often say this, but I think we could all do with a drink. Come on."

"I'd have to agree with you there, Jefferson," Aneres muttered. The Doctor rolled his eyes fondly before turning serious as he addressed Toby.

"What happened?" Toby flinched and rocked back and forth while taking shuddering breaths.

"I don't. I don't know. I was working and then I can't remember. All that noise. The room was falling apart. There was no air-" He started hyperventilating as he continued. Aneres watched him silently, frowning. Rose eventually stepped forward and hoisted him up from the chair.

"Come on. Up you get. Come and have some protein one," The Doctor scoffed at his companion.

"Oh, you've gone native." Rose rolled her eyes and led Toby over to the Ood working at the food counter.

"Oi, don't knock it. It's nice. Protein one with just a dash of three."

"And god knows what else," Aneres commented. The Doctor nodded and walked over to wrap an arm around her waist. Then a beeping sound emanated from Jefferson's comm followed by Ida's voice.

"I've checked Habitation four. Can you hear me?" Jefferson nodded and spoke into the comm.

"There's no sign of her. The biochip says she's in the area. Have any of you seen Scooti?" Aneres and the Doctor shook their heads no. Jefferson looked over at Toby and Rose.

"No, no, no, I don't think so." Rose shook her head no as Toby spoke. Ida spoke back into the comm moment later.

"Scooti, please respond. If you can hear this, please respond. Habitation six." The Doctor listened to their conversation while Aneres' eyes flicked around the room.

"Nowhere here," Jefferson tapped his comm, "Zach? We've got a problem. Scooti's still missing." They could hear the frown in Zach's voice as he responded.

"It says Habitation three."

"Yeah, well, that's where I am, and I'm telling you she's not here." Aneres stiffened as she stared up at the open shutters and tugged on the Doctor's wrist. He followed her eyes and stiffened at the sight.

"We've found her," He breathed out. Jefferson looked up and gasped softly, almost inaudibly. Rose followed a moment later, choking on air as she gazed upwards.

"Oh, my God," No one responded to Rose's horrified words. Their eyes stayed locked on the floating corpse of Scooti Manista as she drifted in the sky above Kroptor. Her hair was slowly swaying as her body kept going farther away, towards the black hole. The Doctor and Anere hung their heads in mourning.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," The Doctor whispered to the rest of the crew. Jefferson refused to look away from her body as he raised his comm once again.

"Captain. Report Officer Scootori Manista PKD, deceased. Forty three K two point one," He said. Ida burst in and looked up at the shutters, tears brimming in her eyes as she watched her crewmate float away.

"She was twenty. Twenty years old," Ida whispered. She shook her head and walked over to the lever before pulling it and closing the shutters. Jefferson sighed and walked over to her.

"For how should man die better than facing fearful odds? For the ashes of his father and the temples of his Gods," Jefferson quoted. Ida gasped a moment later, earning frowns from the rest of the people around her.

"It's stopped," She breathed out. The Doctor and Aneres looked up, realizing as well that the base was almost completely silent for once.

"What was that? What was it?" Rse demanded, her unease growing with each passing second.

"The drill," Ida nodded at the Doctor's words.

"We've stopped drilling. We've made it. Point Zero." The crew perked up at that, praying that they were that much closer to leaving the godforsaken planet of Kroptor. "Time to go down and see what we've found."

"I need to come with you," Aneres looked over at the Doctor in shock, "It might be incredibly dangerous and you need me down there."

"Absolutely not!" Aneres snapped, glaring up at her Tether. Rose nodded, for once in agreement with the Time Lady.

"Doctor, let someone else go. We need you to stay safe," Rose implored, moving to stand near him. Aneres nodded begrudgingly.

"Your companion is right. What good does it do any of us if we lose you to whatever is down there?" She pointed out. The Doctor reached out and clasped her shoulders tightly before replying in Gallifreyan.

"_Esha, you promised we would be okay. The only way I can guarantee that is by going down there and stopping whatever is causing this,"_ Aneres glared up at her Tether.

"_Then let me come with you. Two Time Lords are better than one,"_ The Doctor shook his head no.

"_There's no way Zach is going to let two outsiders go down there, not after everything they've gone through. Please, let me do this. Let me keep you safe,"_ He implored, staring down at Aneres desperately. She gazed up at him for several seconds, her green eyes narrowed into slits and her lips pursed.

"_Fine, but if I think you're even remotely close to danger I'm coming down there."_The Doctor pressed a kiss to her forehead and held her tightly. Aneres took a deep breath, relishing in his scent for a few seconds and tried to ignore the burning in her eyes as she thought about what he was going to do. Finally, they separated and went down to the control room to convince Zach. Neither of them spared a glance at Rose, who looked more than ready to gouge out Aneres' eyes from her skull.

TEotOS

It hadn't taken much to convince Zach that the Doctor needed to go down with Ida, and before they knew it the both of them were strapped into space suits and entering a capsule greatly resembling a mine shaft. Zach watched as Ida set everything up, talking all the while.

"Capsule established. All systems functioning. The mineshaft is go. Bring systems online now," Zach nodded at her words and flicked a couple switches. The Doctor winked at Zach with a bright smile.

"Reporting as a volunteer for the expeditionary force," He joked. Aneres rolled her eyes.

"More like a volunteer for certain death missions and sleeping on the couch for a month," She muttered. Rose glared at her slight against the Doctor, unable to comprehend how he could love someone that insulted him so often. In her opinion, Aneres should be worshipping him on her knees for every second she was able to spend with him as his wife. Rose shook her head and returned to a rather frequent thought of hers, how much better of a wife she would be.

"Doctor, this is breaking every single protocol," Zach reminded him, still uneasy about the whole process.

"Yeah, but you trust me, don't you? And you can't let Ida go down there on her own. Go on. Look me in the eye," Zach looked into the Doctor's eyes as he spoke, "Yes you do, I can see it. Trust." The Captain sighed, knowing that what the Time Lord was claiming was fact. For some reason, he just knew they would be okay if they trusted the Doctor. However, that was harder to accept than someone would think.

"I should be going down." The Doctor shook his head.

"The Captain doesn't lead the mission. He stays here, in charge." Aneres scoffed.

"Unless he's the Captain of the Tardis and irresponsible as hell," She muttered. The Doctor smiled fondly at her and reached out to hold her hand. Zach watched the two of them before shaking his head.

"Positions! We're going down in two. Everyone, positions! Mister Jefferson! I want maximum system enhancement," Zach ordered. The Doctor pulled away from Aneres to look down at the suit closely.

"Oxygen, nitro balance, gravity. It's been ages since I wore one of these," Aneres smiled at his comment.

"Yeah, I believe the last time was when we were still in school," She whispered. The Doctor nodded and looked over at Rose who gave him a smile.

"I want that spacesuit back in one piece, you got that?" The Doctor laughed at his companion.

"Yes, sir," He saluted the blonde, earning an eye roll.

"It's funny, because people back home think that space travel's going to be all whizzing about and teleports and anti gravity, but it's not, is it? It's tough," Rose murmured. Aneres sighed and reached out to adjust the Doctor's suit.

"That's just life. Whether you're at home or millions of miles away in space, it's going to be tough," Aneres stood up and pressed a kiss to the Doctor's lips. "Stay safe."

The Doctor's smile grew and he pressed several kisses to her face, "I'll see you later."

"You'd better," Aneres whispered back. She pressed one last kiss to his forehead. Rose tensed and clenched her hands into fists once more. The Doctor looked over at Rose and nodded once.

"Rose," And with that, he stepped into the mineshaft beside Ida. Aneres took a step back to watch while Zach's voice crackled over the intercom once again.

"Capsule active. Counting down in ten, nine," The Doctor and Ida checked each other over before getting fully situated in the capsule, "Eight, seven, six," Jefferson closed the door, "Five, four, three, two, one. Release."

Aneres let out a shuddering breath as the capsule began descending, taking her Tether down with it. She looked over at the monitor a few times, and glared at Roe as she reached out to grab the microphone connected to their comm system. "Don't even think about it. That line needs to stay open if they have an emergency."

Rose snarled. "I can help him!"

"No you bloody well can't!" Aneres stormed over to stick her finger in Rose's face, "You have no idea how to operate the equipment, what their emergency protocols are, or how to just shut up and wait!" By the end of her rant she was almost screaming at the human. Jefferson watched carefully, wincing when he saw Rose tighten her fists slightly.

"You're not the boss of me," She snapped back. Aneres laughed mockingly.

"Oh Rose, when will you learn? You are not all knowing nor are you exempt from the rules because you're a companion, so stop being entitled and sit your arse down so we can wait in peace," The Time Lady pointed at the floor as she spoke. Rose bristled and clenched her jaw, biting back insults as she did what she was told. Once she was comfortable, Zach spoke again.

"You've gone beyond the oxygen field. You're on your own." Aneres took another deep breath and fidgeted with her fingers as she waited. Every time the capsule shuddered she tensed and pulled on a finger, occasionally eliciting a loud pop or crack from the joints.

"_Are you okay?"_ She whispered to the Doctor's mind. He hummed back absently.

"_Yes, it's just a bit of a bumpy ride. Nothing to worry about,"_ The Doctor replied. Aneres nodded and continued listening in on his end of the connection, the assurance it brought soothing her frazzled nerves. She took deep breaths, trying to listen to his own and match the rhythm, when the capsule screeched and shuddered loudly. Aneres gasped and reached out to brace herself against the wall, terror flooding her system from both herself and his side of the connection.

"Doctor? Doctor, are you all right?" Rose shouted, unable to reach the comm as Aneres moved to block it from the human. She kept one hand bracing herself against the wall while the other reached up to rub her temple slowly.

"_Theta, what's going on? What happened?"_ Aneres demanded. The Doctor struggled to respond for several seconds, leaving her fear to mount higher and higher. Zach's voice crackled over the comm again.

"Ida, report to me. Doctor?" He demanded, worry clear in his voice. Eventually, the Doctor's voiced resounded through the comm system.

"It's all right. We've made it. Getting out of the capsule now," Aneres nearly sobbed with relief. _"I'm alright, Esha. Don't worry."_

"_You're making that rather difficult,"_ Aneres managed to say, a bit of humor cutting across her anxiety. The Doctor chuckled mentally.

"_I am, aren't I. Sorry about that, darling." _Rose stood up, frowning at the Time Lady as she sort of stared into space. Seizing her moment, Rose rushed forward and grabbed the comm system.

"What's it like down there?" She asked breathlessly. Aneres blinked a few times, removing herself from her immersion in the connection to stare murderously at the back of Rose's head. The Doctor was far kinder than her, however, and answered Rose's question.

"It's hard to tell. Some sort of cave. Cavern. It's massive." Rose nodded and smiled, about ask more questions if it weren't for Ida interrupting.

"Well, this should help. Gravity globe." The comm was silent for a moment before Ida managed to whisper, "That's, that's. My God, that's beautiful."

"_Esha, look through my mind, you need to see this," _Aneres did as he asked and gasped softly as she saw the cavern through the connection, clear as day. It was absolutely massive, with arches and spires and intricate carvings she would give anything to see. The Doctor kept his connection with her open while speaking back into the comm.

"Rose, you can tell Toby we've found his civilisation," He said. Rose grinned, hearing his amazed smile as he spoke and wishing she could be there to see it.

"Oi, Toby. Sounds like you've got plenty of work," Toby looked up at Rose and gave her a false and anxious smile.

"Good, good. Good." A few moments later, Zach spoke up again.

"Concentrate now, people. Rose, get off the comm, we need to keep our focus on the mission. Ida, what about the power source?" Rose glared at the comm, wanting nothing more than give Zach a verbal lashing in that moment. However, Aneres had once again abandoned her immersion in the connection and snatched the comm away from her. Rose glared at Aneres but knew she wouldn't be able to get that back easily.

"We're close. Energy signature indicates north north west. Are you getting pictures up there?" Ida asked over the comm.

"There's too much interference. We're in your hands," Zach replied.

"Well, we've come this far. There's no turning back," Aneres winced at Ida's word choice and almost laughed when the Doctor shared her sentiments.

"Oh, did you have to? No turning back? That's almost as bad as nothing can possibly go wrong, or this is going to be the best Christmas Walford's ever had." Aneres was seconds away from releasing a giggle at her Tether's ridiculous rambling, but refrained as best she could.

"Are you finished?" Ida demanded. The Doctor paused before meekly replying.

"Yeah. Finished." The comm crackled again as Danny's voice came through from OOd Habitation.

"Captain, sir. There's something happening with the Ood," Aneres stiffened at the news and listened carefully.

"What are they doing?" Zach asked worriedly.

"They're staring at me. I've told them to stop, but they won't."

"Danny, you're a big boy, I think you can take being stared at."

"But the telepathic field, sir. It's at basic one hundred," Aneres' mouth dropped open in horror, "I've checked. there isn't any fault. It's definitely one hundred."

"But that's impossible," Zach muttered. Aneres tightened her grip on the comm as she tried to come up with a plan, a solution. Too many unknowns were being handled right now, if this were a math equation she would never be able to solve it.

"What's basic one hundred mean?" Rose asked, turning to Jefferson with a frown. Danny spoke up on the comm.

"They should be dead." Aneres wanted to scream at that revelation. Whatever was shouting at the Ood was far worse than it seemed earlier, she knew that much.

"Basic one hundred's brain death," Jefferson elaborated. Rose froze and Aneres let out a frustrated sigh.

"But they're safe. They're not actually moving?" Zach asked. All of them waited for Danny's response.

"No, sir."

"Keep watching them. And you, Jefferson? Keep a guard on the Ood," Aneres watched as Jefferson held his gun up and pointed it at the Ood.

"Officers, at arms!" He ordered.

"Yes, sir," Various crewmembers replied. Aneres kept watching while Rose decided to speak up.

"You can't fire a gun in here. What if you hit a wall?"

"I'm firing stock fifteen. It only impacts upon organics," Jefferson stared down his crewmates, "Keep watch. Guard them." They nodded as he pointed at the Ood standing near them.

"Yes, sir." Jefferson nodded in approval while the Doctor spoke once again over the comm.

"Is everything all right up there?" Aneres picked up the comm.

"For now, I'll keep you updated," She whispered, trying to ignore him probing her mind for more information. Aneres didn't need him worrying about this while he was so far underground.

"It's fine," Zach replied quickly. Danny followed suit.

"Great," He replied from Ood Habitation. The comm was silent for a couple minutes before the Doctor spoke up again.

"We've found something. It looks like metal. Like some sort of seal. I've got a nasty feeling the word might be trapdoor. Not a good word, trapdoor. Never met a trapdoor I liked," He rambled. Aneres' body continued to tense up until she was sure she was going to rip herself in half or shatter her spine with her own muscles.

"The edge is covered with those symbols," Ida remarked over the comm.

"Do you think it opens?" Zach asked.

"That's what trapdoors tend to do," The Doctor jibed back. Aneres could practically hear his eyes rolling at the Captain.

"Trapdoor doesn't do it justice. It's massive, Zach. About thirty feet in diameter," Ida described.

"Any way of opening it?" Zach asked.

"I don't know. I can't see any sort of mechanism," Ida admitted. Rose frowned disappointedly while Aneres prayed the trapdoor couldn't be opened. If they managed it, who knows what could come out.

"I suppose that's the writing. It'll tell us what to do. The letters that defy translation," The Doctor said.

"Toby, did you get anywhere with decoding it?" Zach demanded. Toby looked up and nodded shakily.

"I know what it says," He rasped. Aneres stared at him warily, not wanting to get anywhere near anything that knew more than the Tardis. The amount of potential danger was way too dangerous to take that chance. Unless you were Rose.

"Then tell them," Rose said gently. Jefferson frowned down at Toby.

"When did you work that out?"

"It doesn't matter, just tell us," Toby looked back up from the floor at Rose's and Aneres nearly screamed. Symbols from the hidden language riddled his alabaster skin and his eyes were a blood red that screamed vitriol and hatred at those that gazed into them. His mouth opened and a horrific voice echoed from them.

"These are the words of the Beast. And he has woken. He is the heart that beats in the darkness. He is the blood that will never cease. And now he will rise," Aneres was shaking and pale, Rose had taken several steps back, and Jefferson turned his gun on Toby without a second thought.

"Officer, stand down. Stand down," He ordered, not wanting to shoot Toby but not above protecting his crew. Aneres couldn't look away from the deranged man as her blood was replaced with ice water laced with terror that kept her standing still and her eyes fixed on him. The Doctor's voice crackled across the comm.

"What is it? What's he done? What's happening? Annie, Rose, what's going on?" He demanded, feeling everything his Tether was feeling but unable to see the cause.

"Jefferson? Report. Report!" Zach commanded, shouting over the comm desperately.

"Officer, as Commander of Security, I order you to stand down and be confined. Immediately!" Jefferson shouted at Toby. Aneres pulled the comm up to her face slowly.

"He has the writing all over his body, he sounds like he's possessed, I don't know what's wrong with him," She choked out into the microphone. Aneres heard the Doctor gasp but she didn't hear his response as Toby opened his mouth again.

"Mister Jefferson. Tell me, sir. Did your wife ever forgive you?" He asked, his voice sweet yet malicious and burning in their ears as he spoke. Jefferson stiffened and paled slightly.

"I don't know what you mean," He whispered. Toby cocked his head to the side.

"Let me tell you a secret. She never did," He whispered back, grinning at the fear turning to fury inside Jefferson. Aneres watched as he repositioned his gun and aimed right between Toby's eyes.

"Officer, you stand down and be confined."

"Or what?"

"Or under the strictures of Condition Red, I am authorised to shoot you."

"If you don't, I will," Aneres suddenly snarled, earning a look of surprise and almost a challenge from Toby. He smirked at her.

"But how many can you kill?" They watched in horror as the symbols melted off of his body and drifted in a cloud of black smoke to the Ood, who immediately stiffened once the symbols landed on their skin. Aneres watched as the Ood all took a step forward and spoke in unison.

"We are the Legion of the Beast."

"Annie? What is it, Annie? I'm going back up," The Doctor shouted over the comm.

"Report. Report!" Zach went unanswered, "Jefferson, report. Someone, report!"

The Ood spoke again, forcing shudders down Aneres' spine and a cloud of fear over her mind. "The Legion shall be many, and the Legion shall be few."

"It's the Ood," Rose shouted, just loud enough to be picked up over the comm. Jefferson nodded and shouted as well.

"Sir, we have contamination in the livestock."

"That's an understatement," Aneres forced herself to take a deep breath as she spoke, "The Ood are possessed by whatever got Toby, which means we are royally fucked if we can't figure out how to stop it."

No one commented on her language as the Ood continued their sermon. "He has woven himself in the fabric of your life since the dawn of time. Some may call him Abaddon. Some may call him Kroptor. Some may call him Satan or Lucifer-"

Danny interjected over the comm, "Captain, it's the Ood. They're out of control!"

"Or the Bringer of Despair, the Deathless Prince, the Bringer of Night," The Ood continued. Aneres gasped as she heard a guard scream over the comm. "These are the words that shall set him free."

Jefferson kept his gun trained on the Ood while pulling Rose back from them. "Back up to the door!"

"I shall become manifest," Aneres back away from the Ood and their words.

"Move quickly!" Jefferson shouted.

"I shall walk in might," The Ood chanted.

"To the door! Get it open!" Aneres ran to stand beside Jefferson as they kept backing away to the door. Rose started trying to pry it open, doing her best to ignore the Ood.

"My Legions shall swarm across the worlds," The ground began shaking as the Ood continued speaking.

"Doctor, it's opening!" Ida shouted over the comm. Zach's voice came on a moment later.

"We're moving! The whole thing's moving. The planet's moving," He said, fear coating his voice like a syrup. The Ood barely reacted and kept speaking.

"I am the sin and the temptation and the desire. I am the pain and the loss and the-"

"Get that door open!" Jefferson shouted. Rose finally managed to turn the handle and opened the door to reveal a deep shaft. Zach's voice came on the comm.

"The gravity field. It's going! We're losing orbit! We're going to fall into the black hole!" Aneres covered her mouth at his words, physically biting back a scream and its associated feelings of panic. Her eyes never strayed from the Ood as they continued approaching them.

"I have been imprisoned for eternity. But no more."

"Door sealed," The intercom droned. Aneres paled and turned back to the door which was now shut once more. She rushed forwards and pounded on it desperately.

"No, no, no!" Aneres shrieked. The intercom echoed once again.

"Door sealed." Silence reigned for a split second before a deep and echoing voice resounded from the center of the planet.

"The Pit is open. And I am free!" Aneres bit down on her finger harshly as the voice cackled loudly and sent the entire planet vibrating beneath them.

"_Theta, help us,"_ She whispered mentally.

**Hello again! I decided to write this chapter instead of taking a break, I want to keep my momentum going as much as I can. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this, please leave a review with questions, comments or concerns, I really love hearing from you guys! Thank you so much for being devoted readers! Bye for now!**

**-Angel**


	26. The Satan Pit: Separated

Aneres' breathing picked up as the Ood continued closing in, murder in their eyes and poison in their words. She could feel adrenaline rushing through every nerve ending while the beating of her hearts skyrocketed and her fingers twitched. Before she could register what she was doing, Aneres lunged forward and grabbed the gun from Jefferson's crewmate just as Jefferson shouted.

"Open fire!" Aneres pulled the trigger immediately, watching as bullets streamed from the gun and embedded themselves in the body of the Ood. Jefferson stared at her in shock. By the time he processed it, the last Ood had fallen to the floor, along with the guard, having been taken out by one of the Ood. Zach's voice crackled over the comm system.

"We're stabilising," He paused, "We've got orbit."

Aneres looked down at the gun in her hand, and then down at the ground where she had dropped the comm. Before she could move, Rose dove to the ground and grabbed the radio.

"Doctor? Doctor, can you hear me? Doctor, Ida, are you there?" She looked up as door 25 opened and Jefferson prepared to shoot with Aneres by his side. They relaxed, however, when Danny entered with his hands up.

"It's me! But they're coming," He turned and shut the door, "It's the Ood. They've gone mad." Aneres brought one hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose while the other took comfort in the weight of the weapon it held. She looked up at the ceiling and forced her mind to clear, focusing only on the main problem at hand: murderous aliens.

"How many of them?" Jefferson demanded.

"All of them! All fifty!" Danny shouted back. Jefferson rushed forward and pulled Danny away from the door as they caught a glimpse of the Ood on the other side of the door.

"Danny, out of the way. Out of the way!" He shouted. Aneres followed Jefferson close behind, her gun hanging by her side for the moment.

"But they're armed! It's the interface device. I don't know how, but they're using it as a weapon," Danny rambled, allowing Jefferson to pull him away from the door. Aneres raised an eyebrow and held her gun up, processing the new information as quick as a light while Jefferson started to open the door.

As soon as it opened a crack, Aneres caught a glimpse of an Ood and immediately fired two bullets. Her eye twitched as the metal ripped through the alien's skull and sent blood spraying on the walls. Jefferson flinched back, opening the door fully, revealing the rest of the Ood to Aneres. The corners of her mouth lifted. Her finger squeezed down. Ood started falling like dominos.

Aneres stared down at the corpses littering the hallway absentmindedly while her fingers fiddled with her gun. "We need to move, we won't be safe here."

Jefferson swallowed and nodded. He spoke into the comm system. "Seal door 24. Seal door 23."

"Jefferson, what's happening there?" Zach demanded over the comm. Jefferson sighed and kept staring at Aneres.

"We've got very little ammunition, sir. How about you?"

"All I've got is a bolt gun. With er, all of one bolt. I could take out a grand total of one Ood. Fat lot of good that is."

"Given the emergency, I recommend strategy nine."

"Strategy Nine. Agreed," Aneres stared at the comm in Rose's hands, "Right, we need to get everyone together. Aneres? What about Ida and the Doctor? Any word?"

"Rose had the comm, you'll have to ask her," Aneres snapped back as she knelt down and started going through the Ood's pockets. She grinned as she managed to find a few packs of ammunition and carefully stowed them in the pockets of her jeans.

"Rose, are they there?" Rose shook her head.

"I can't get a reply. Just nothing. I keep trying, but it's-" Static erupted from the comm, followed by the Doctor's voice.

"No, sorry, I'm fine. Still here." Aneres let herself relax slightly, but not so much that she would be vulnerable. She walked over and held out one of the two packs of ammo she'd found to Jefferson.

"You'll need this," Aneres whispered. Jefferson nodded and took it from her.

"Where'd you learn to shoot like that?" He asked. Aneres sighed and looked up at him.

"War," He winced and looked away. Aneres rolled her eyes. "Don't do that, it looks stupid."

"Rose, where's Aneres? Is she alright?" The Doctor asked frantically over the comm. Aneres stared at the device before ripping it out of the blonde's hand and bringing it up to speak into the mic.

"I'm here Doctor. I was just helping Jefferson here with our current dilemma," She admitted, knowing he would understand what she meant. As expected he was silent for several seconds before replying slowly.

"Are you safe?" Aneres smiled slightly.

"Yeah, for now. You?"

"Yeah, me and Ida. Hello. But the seal opened up. It's gone. All we've got left is this chasm," He explained. Aneres listened as he described it.

"How deep is it?" asked Zach.

"Can't tell. It looks like it goes down forever." Rose's eyes widened as she realized something.

"The pit is open, that's what the voice said," She said slowly. Aneres frowned, remembering that other problem they were going to have to tackle. Her fingers went back to tapping the outside of the gun as she held it, thinking everything over once again.

"But there's nothing. I mean, there's nothing coming out?" Zach asked.

"No, no. No sign of the Beast," The Doctor replied. Rose took a shuddering breath.

"It said Satan," She whispered. Aneres' grip on both the comm and the gun tightened as a stab of irritation hit her. The Doctor sighed on the other end of the comm.

"Come on, Rose. Keep it together," He murmured gently. Rose's breathing picked up.

"Is there no such thing?" There was silence for a moment, "Doctor. Doctor, tell me there's no such thing."

More silence. Aneres knew why he didn't answer. For the first time in a long time, the Doctor didn't have an answer for his companion because he simply didn't know what the answer could possibly be. And, if he didn't have an answer it meant he had no hope, nothing to cling to.

"_You're wrong,"_ The Doctor whispered in her mind. _"I have a whole world to cling to, a whole universe in fact." _He paused. _"And if I let that go, if I let you go, then I'm as good as dead. So stay alive. Stay alive and I'll come to you."_

"_Promise?"_ Aneres murmured back. She could feel the Doctor's reassuring smiles and embraces through the connection and allowed some of the tension to leave her body.

"_I promise."_ He replied. Aneres nodded and pulled away from the connection, slightly more at ease than she was a few seconds ago. Zach's voice crackled over the comm again.

"Ida?" No response. "I recommend that you withdraw." Again, silence. "Immediately."

Finally, Ida responded with a voice that sounded meeker than should be possible. "But, we've come all this way."

"Okay, that was an order. Withdraw. When that thing opened, the whole planet's shifted. One more inch and we fall into the black hole. So this thing stops right now," Zach ordered. Aneres nodded in agreement.

"Ida, whatever is down there is not worth risking all of our lives. Especially not when the risk involves being sucked into a black hole," The Time Lady pointed out.

"But it's not much better up there with the Ood," Ida pointed out. Zach groaned in frustration.

"I'm initiating strategy nine, so I need the two of you back up top immediately, no ar-" Aneres stiffened as Zach was cut short by a loud click. Ida had cut the comm link. Unless she was able to remove herself as an asset for fighting the Ood, they had no way to communicate with the Doctor and Ida now.

TEotOS

"What do you think?" The Doctor looked over at Ida and sighed. She was begging, pleading for any reason to defy her captain. For all he loved humans and their curiosity, it was moments like this where he really, truly wanted them to just stop.

"I think they've given us an order," The Doctor eventually replied.

"Yeah, but what do you think?" Ida demanded, desperation clearly painted across every inch of her mind, body and soul. The Doctor took a deep breath before deciding on a response.

"It said, I am the temptation."

"Well, if there's something in there, why is it still hiding?"

"Maybe we opened the prison but not the cell," The Doctor pointed out. Ida's eyes tightened with a fierce determination, one that the Doctor absolutely wanted to avoid in that moment.

"We should go down. I'd go. What about you?"

"Oh. Oh, in a second," Ida's eyes lit up, "but then again, that is so human. Where angels fear to tread. Even now, standing on the edge. It's that feeling you get, eh? Right at the back of your head. That impulse. That strange little impulse," He winced as that sensation grew in his own mind, "That mad little voice saying, go on. Go on. Go on. Go over. Go on. Maybe it's relying on that. For once in my life, Officer Scott," She stared at him hopefully, "I'm going to say retreat. Oh, now I know I'm getting old." He ignored her disheartened expression and flicked the comms back on, "Annie, Rose, we're coming back."

"Best news I've heard all day," Rose said, her voice slightly muffled. The Doctor waited, knowing Aneres would say something sooner or later.

"Be careful, that's all I ask." He smiled, the trust his Tether had in him never failed to bring a smile to his face. She knew now that he would always come back to her, she just wanted him to be careful.

"Of course, darling. I'll see you soon," The Doctor replied. Aneres didn't reply, but he knew she heard him. He could feel her mind get a small burst of happiness and hope. He turned his attention back over to Ida. "Come on, let's go back to the capsule."

Their walk back to the capsule passed almost entirely in silence, with the two of them gazing at the majesty of the civilization they had discovered as opposed to speaking. However, Ida was soon overcome with another bout of curiosity and looked over at the Doctor.

"So, Aneres is your…?" She trailed off, not wanting to mislabel the woman.

"She's my wife, for lack of a better human term. Though, I suppose soulmate would work," The Doctor replied. Ida frowned slightly.

"And who's Rose?"

"She's my traveling companion. I find people, friends, and I bring them in my ship for trips around the universe," Ida's eyes widened at his explanation.

"And she's human, but you and Aneres are not?"

"Indeedly doo. We're Time Lords, the last of them actually," The Doctor admitted. Ida's eyes darkened in pity.

"Is that why you take companions? Are you two lonely?" The Doctor shrugged.

"I don't know about Aneres, we traveled a lot just the two of us when we were younger and she never took on a companion. I've always been the one to do that," He admitted. Ida nodded as she listened. "I think she is though. Lonely, I mean. We lost a lot, many years ago, and she doesn't cope with it the same way I do."

"Did you guys ever-" The Doctor immediately knew what she was going to ask and cut her off.

"What's strategy nine?" He asked. Ida blinked at him knowingly, but allowed the subject change.

"Open the airlocks. We'll be safe inside the lock down. The Ood will get thrown out into the vacuum."

"So we're going back to a slaughter?"

"The devil's work." The Doctor grimaced and kept walking, trying his best to justify what was happening. Ida did the same, despite knowing it was wrong. Thankfully, they were spared from further discussing it by their arrival at the capsule. They stepped inside and secured themselves.

"Okay, we're in. Bring us up," Ida ordered into the comm system. Jefferson's voice came through a few seconds later.

"Ascension in three, two, one," Just as the capsule started to rise, it stopped and darkness engulfed the base.

TEotOS

Aneres cursed under her breath as the lights were extinguished. That frustration quickly died like a flame starved from oxygen, however, and left her terrified once more as the grumbling roar from before echoed through the base.

"This is the darkness. This is my domain," The Ood appeared on monitors, echoing the voice's words menacingly, "You little things that live in the light, clinging to your feeble suns which die in the night like candle flames."

Zach's voice echoed over the comms, cutting the other voice off. "That's not the Ood. Something's talking through them."

"Only the darkness remains," Aneres shivered as she felt the darkness pressing against her like air that was too thick to breath. Like smoke, choking her lungs.

"This is Captain Zachary Cross Flane of Sanctuary Base Six, representing the Torchwood archive. You will identify yourself." The voice's laugh reverberated through the base at Zach's order, the sound similar to rocks grinding against each other.

"You know my name."

"What do you want?" Zach demanded. Aneres didn't move, she barely even breathed. Instead, she listened for that was all her body was allowing her to do.

"You will die here. All of you. This planet is your grave," The voice growled, now sounding like fire when it whooses out of a flamethrower. Toby started rocking back and forth again. Jefferson, Rose and the other guard followed Aneres' example and barely moved.

"It's him. It's him. It's him," Toby whispered. The Doctor's voice crackled over the comm again.

"If you are the Beast, then answer me this. Which one, hmm? Cos the universe has been busy since you've been gone. There's more religions than there are planets in the sky. The Archiphets, Orkology, Christianity, Pash Pash, New Judaism, San Klah, Church of the Tin Vagabond. Which devil are you?" He demanded, not about to let this thing think it had the upper hand. No, he would undermine it until it ceased to be a threat in their eyes.

"All of them," The voice replied coldly. The Doctor scoffed.

"What, then you're the truth behind the myth?"

"This one knows me as I know him. The killer of his own kind," Both Aneres and the Doctor tensed at that particular title. The Doctor didn't let it stop him from speaking, though.

"How did you end up on this rock?"

"The Disciples of the Light rose up against me and chained me in the pit for all eternity." Aneres tried to think back on her teachings at the Academy, hoping they had at least discussed a group known as the Disciples of the Light. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind.

"When was this?" The Doctor asked.

"Before time." Aneres' mind went blank at that reply. It seemed the Doctor's did too, as he was only able to reply with,

"What does that mean?"

"Before time."

"What does before time mean?"

"Before light and time and space and matter. Before the cataclysm. Before this universe was created." Aneres shook her head, every fibre of her being telling her how absolutely wrong that was.

"That's impossible. No life could have existed back then," The Doctor argued. The voice chuckled again.

"Is that your religion?"

"It's a belief," The Doctor snapped. Aneres shuddered as the voice spoke again, yet somehow far more menacingly.

"You know nothing. All of you, so small. The Captain, so scared of command," Zach winced from his place in the control room and looked down at the ground in shame.

"The soldier, haunted by the eyes of his wife," Jefferson paled and squeezed his eyes shut as his fingers turned white with their iron grip on the gun.

"The scientist, still running from Daddy," The Doctor looked at Ida as she trembled and teared up.

"The little boy who lied," Danny curled in on himself with a barely audible whimper.

"The virgin," Toby flinched and looked down.

"The lost girl, so far away from home," Rose gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, "The valiant child who will die in battle so very soon."

"And the vengeful mother who bathes in the blood and fury of war, hatred and misery," Aneres let out a shuddering breath as her eyes filled with tears. Her eyes squeezed shut as the voice let out a harsh laugh resembling the sound of someone chewing on gravel and tears made their salty tracks down her pale cheeks mockingly.

"Doctor, what does that mean?" Rose asked softly, barely audible over the comm.

"Annie, Rose, don't listen," He said, his voice a gentle croon over the comm system. Rose clenched her hands together tightly.

"What does it mean?" She repeated, praying for the Doctor to tell her it was going to be okay. But, the voice spoke first.

"You will die and I will live," It declared simply. Aneres shook her head, and looked over at the monitor which forced a scream from her throat. A horned beast was roaring at her, with eyes of fire and horns the size of redwood trees. She backed away until she ran into the wall and sank to the floor while breathing heavily.

Danny was the first to speak. "What the hell was that?"

"I had that thing inside my head," Toby whimpered. Rose stormed over to the Time Lady and ripped the comm from her hands again.

"Doctor, what did it mean?" She demanded. Aneres brought her hand up and bit on her finger harshly, the pain stunning her back to reality.

"What do we do? Jefferson?" Danny looked around desperately as he spoke. Aneres took several deep breaths and ignored the stinging in her finger.

"Captain? What's the situation on strategy nine?" Jefferson demanded. Aneres slowly stood from her place beside the wall.

"Zach, what do we do?" Danny begged. Aneres walked back over to the group, checking her gun over all the while.

"The planet, the orbit, the black hole. Everything's true," Toby muttered. Aneres stopped just short of the group to listen in.

"Captain, report," Jefferson ordered. Aneres waited for Zach to speak.

"We've lost pictures, Mister Jefferson," The Captain finally admitted. Aneres shook her head and ran her free hand down her face. Rose took that opportunity to turn back to the comm.

"Doctor, how did it know all of-" Ida cut her off.

"Did anyone get an analy-" Zach interrupted her.

"Jefferson," Finally, the Doctor silenced everyone.

"Stop." Rose opened her mouth again, only to feel someone's hand hit her upside the head.

"He said stop," Aneres snapped with a harsh glare. Rose opened her mouth to retort, but the words died in her mouth when she actually looked at Aneres closely. She looked awful. Blotchy cheeks, white tear stains cutting across them, and a clear intent to hurt someone or something before this mess was over. Rose looked down at the ground, annoyed at the slight bite of shame that went through her.

"Everyone just stop," The Doctor waited until the comms were silent, "You want voices in the dark? Then listen to mine. That thing is playing on very basic fears. Darkness, childhood nightmares, all that stuff."

Danny hid his face in his hands. "But that's how the devil works."

"Or a good psychologist," The Doctor shot back over the comms. Ida's voice was heard next.

"Yeah, but how did it know about my father?" She whispered, completely terrified.

"Okay, but what makes his version of the truth any better than mine, hmm?" Everyone froze at that and felt their minds begin to calm, "Cos I'll tell you what I can see. Humans. Brilliant humans. Humans who travel all the way across space, flying in a tiny little rocket, right into the orbit of a black hole, just for the sake of discovery. That's amazing!"

Aneres smiled down at the comm adoringly. This was the man she loved, the man she had been destined for since her birth, the man she would never leave and he was being just so amazing she thought her heart might burst. Not even the feeling of Rose's eyes on her, glaring holes through her body, registered in that moment. Only a spark of joy that was doing wonders in lighting up their seemingly hopeless situation.

"Do you hear me?" The Doctor asked with a very audible smile, "Amazing, all of you. The Captain, his Officer, his elders, his juniors, his friends. All with one advantage. The Beast is alone. We are not. If we can use that to fight against him-"

BANG. Aneres' smile dropped as the cable in the shaft snapped and dropped down the shaft, taking every chance of retrieving the Doctor and Ida with it. She ran forward to the door and watched as the gleaming cable disappeared into the dark while Ida and the Doctor shouted over the comm.

"The cable's snapped!" Ida screamed.

"Get out!" The Doctor ordered. Static resounded from the comms for several moments.

"Doctor, we lost the cable! Doctor, are you all right? Doctor!" Rose shouted, not giving a damn in that moment whether or not Aneres might cuff her again. Static continued. And continued.

Finally, Zach spoke up. "Comms are down."

Aneres gritted her teeth and forced herself to go back to their connection. _"Theta? Theta are you alright?"_

There was no response for a few seconds. Then there was a soft groan. _"Yep, we're fine, love. The capsule is destroyed though."_

Aneres let out a sigh of relief. _"I don't care about a hunk of metal you idiot."_

The Doctor's mind was overcome with feelings of fondness. _"Yeah, but I'm your idiot."_

Aneres blushed despite the situation. _"Yes, yes you are, you impossible man. Do you and Ida still have air?"_

"_Ida says we have fifty-five minutes of air, so we'll have to figure something out in less than that," _The Doctor admitted. Aneres frowned.

"_That's not much time at all, especially since we'll still need to find time to pull off whatever plan we come up with."_

"_Hey, I believe in you. Now go, be amazing and find us a way out."_ The Doctor closed the connection at that point, leaving his Tether with a slight smile and a spine that had new strength behind it. She turned away from the shaft to see Jefferson speaking into the comms.

"Captain? Situation report."

"It's the Ood. They're cutting through the door bolts. They're breaking in." Jefferson jerked his head towards Door 25 as Zach spoke. Aneres took the hint and went over, wincing at the sight of Ood right outside the door with their own bolt-cutters. She looked back at Jefferson and nodded.

"Yeah, it's the same on Door 25," Jefferson admitted. Rose frowned at the door and stared at Jefferson.

"How long's it going to take?" She asked slowly. Jefferson sighed and looked back at her.  
"Well, it's only a basic frame, it should take ten minutes." They heard another bolt shatter, "Eight."

"I've got a security frame. It might last a bit longer, but that doesn't help you," Zach said as he tried finding something in the control room that might help out. Rose took a deep breath and looked at their entire group.

"Right. So we need to stop them, or get out, or both." Danny nodded emphatically.

"I'll take both, yeah? But how?"

"Thinking. It's what humans are best at and it's what we're going to do right now, except you have an even bigger advantage," Aneres walked back to them as she spoke, "You have a Time Lady who knows how to use a gun, some of this hardware, and has natural telepathic abilities. So, let's figure this out. What do we need first?"

"Power," Rose piped up. Aneres nodded, shoving away her feelings of distaste for the woman in the name of survival.

"Yep, without light we're sitting ducks. So," Aneres grabbed the comm from Rose, "What can you do for that Zach? You've got the entire hub around you, you're our man."

"There's nothing I can do. Some Captain, stuck in here, pressing buttons," Zach muttered. Aneres slammed her palm to her face and massaged her temples slowly. Rose gasped.

"That's what the Doctor meant. Press the right buttons," She said, grinning down at the comm.

"They've gutted the generators," Zach trailed off as he realized something, "But the rocket's got an independent supply. If I could reroute that. Mister Jefferson? Open the bypass conduits. Override the safety."

Jefferson frowned but walked over to a panel and started entering codes. "Opening bypass conduits, sir."

"Channelling rocket feed in three, two, one. Power," Aneres cheered as the lights turned back on along with Rose, Danny, and Jefferson.

"Yes! Amazing Zach!" She shouted into the comm. Rose nodded excitedly.

"Let there be light!" Danny shouted with a grin. Aneres clapped him on the back and turned back to the comm.

"Now, Captain, is Strategy Nine still in play or are we a no go with that one?" She asked. Jefferson spoke up.

"Not enough power. It needs a hundred percent," Aneres nodded and shifted her to-do list slightly.

"Okay, so we need an escape now. Zach, see what you can do to figure that out and you, Mr. Jefferson, need to find a way to slow the Ood down for the moment and help Zach if you can," The two men shouted affirmatives and Aneres turned to Rose, Danny and Toby. "Rose, I need you to talk to Toby, see what he knows about the Pit, and Danny, you're gonna help me with the Ood."

Rose nodded and pulled Toby to the side, knowing better than to act up right then. Danny looked over at Aneres and returned her grin as she started asking him various questions.

TEotOS

Ida sighed and stared at the pile of cable in front of her before turning to the Doctor. "I have an idea."

He raised an eyebrow. "To get back up?"

Ida shook her head. "No, to get down. We've got all this cable, we might as well use it. The drum's disconnected. We could adapt it, feed it through."

"And then what?" The Doctor demanded. Ida scoffed and gestured at the chasm.

"Abseil into the pit." The Doctor stared at her blankly.

"Abseil. Right." Ida rolled her eyes at him and started gathering the cable.

"We're running out of air with no way back. It's the only thing we can do. Even if it's the last thing we ever achieve." The Doctor glared at her as his hands clenched.

"I'll get back. Aneres is up there." Ida looked up with a smile.

"Well, maybe the key to that is finding out what's in the pit," The Doctor pondered it for a moment before shrugging.

"Well, it's half of a good plan," He admitted. Ida raised an eyebrow at the Time Lord.

"What's the other half?" She asked.

"I go down, not you," The Doctor decided. Ida glared at him darkly, but knew she wouldn't be able to convince him otherwise. And so, they started gathering cable by the armfuls and adapting it.

TEotOS

Aneres watched Jefferson as he typed away on a keypad and muttered to himself, "Open junctions five, six, seven. Reroute filters sixteen to twenty four. Go."

She nodded in approval and turned back to Danny. "Sorry, continue."

"So, there's all sorts of viruses that could stop the Ood. Trouble is, we haven't got them on board," Aneres frowned.

"What if you didn't use a virus? What if you took out how they're functioning as a group?" Danny's eyebrows flew up at her remark.

"Like, use their telepathy somehow?" He asked. Aneres nodded, causing Danny to let out a breath and type away at the computer for a few seconds. The both of them grinned as the screen displayed the word 'affirmative' in rather large font.

"Oh, my God. It says yes. I can do it. Hypothetically, if you flip the monitor, broadcast a flare, it can disrupt the telepathy. Brainstorm!"

"Which would permanently incapacitate the Ood," Aneres sighed, "It's a good thing they're already brain dead or I don't think I could ever go through with this. Can you do it from here?"

"No, but I'd have to transmit from the central monitor. We need to go to Ood Habitation," Danny admitted. Aneres drummed her fingers on the table for a few seconds with a frown before turning to Jefferson.

"Jefferson? Have you found a way out?" Jefferson turned to face Aneres and gave her a sharp nod.

"Just about. There's a network of maintenance tunnels running underneath the base. We should be able to gain access from here."

"Ventilation shafts!" Rose piped up with a grin. Aneres' frown deepened as Jefferson shook his head no.

"Yeah, I appreciate the reference, but there's no ventilation. No air, in fact, at all. They were designed for machines, not life forms," Rose's smile dropped while Aneres let a stream of curses fly through her mind. Then Zach spoke up over the comm.

"But I can manipulate the oxygen field from here. Create discrete pockets of atmosphere. If I control it manually, I can follow you through the network." Aneres almost screamed with delight, but settled for bouncing up and down as she spoke back through the comm.

"Alright so we'll go down into the shafts and you'll just make the air pockets follow us?" She reaffirmed.

"That's correct ma'am," He paused, "After all, you wanted me to push some buttons."

"Zach you are pushing all the right ones right now so keep it up!" Aneres walked back over to where Danny was downloading a flare onto a chip. "We need to get to Ood Habitation as quickly as possible, if you could get a route going that would be great."

"You got it," Zach replied before the comm was silent once again.

TEotOS

Ida stepped back to admire their work with a grin. They had managed to wrap the cable around a drum and attach the other end to the Doctor, who was already making his way over to the chasm.

"That should hold it. How's it going?" The Doctor sighed and looked back over at her.

"Fine. Should work. Doesn't feel like such a good idea now," He admitted before looking forwards again and stepping onto the rim of the chasm. "Hmm, there it is again. That itch. Go down, go down, go down, go down, go down."

Ida watched as he shivered uneasily. "The urge to jump. Do you know where it comes from, that sensation?" The Doctor looked over, "Genetic heritage. Ever since we were primates in the trees. It's our body's way of testing us. Calculating whether or not we can reach the next branch."

"No, that's not it. That's too kind. It's not the urge to jump. It's deeper than that," A deranged grin spread over the Doctor's lips, "It's the urge to fall!"

Before Ida could say anything in response, the Doctor was already careening into the chasm in a free fall. His body was singing with delight as he dropped through the air, but was sorely disappointed when his descent was halted. The Doctor looked up at Ida as she pressed on the brake of the drum.

"Are you okay?" She shouted down. The Doctor nodded as best he could and gave a thumbs up.

"Not bad, thanks. The wall of the pit seems to be the same as the cavern, just not much of it. There's a crust about twenty feet down and then nothing. Just the pit," He looked around carefully before making eye contact with Ida again, "Okay, then. Lower me down."

Ida took a deep breath and nodded while slowly releasing the brake on the drum. "Well, here we go then."

TEotOS

Aneres winced as the Ood started on the last bolt in the door. She looked back down at the deck plating she was currently lifting and tugged as hard as she could with Jefferson and Toby. Rose looked over her shoulder and noticed Danny wasn't ready yet.

"Danny!"

"Hold on! Just conforming," He shouted back while tapping the monitor frantically. Jefferson let out a breath of relief as they fully removed the panel.

"Dan, we got to go now! Come on!" Jefferson shouted. Danny nodded and grabbed something from the monitor before running over.

"Yeah!" He held up an orange chip to the group with a grin, "Put that in the monitor and it's a bad time to be an Ood."

Rose beamed at Danny, as did Aneres, but it was the blonde who spoke, "We're coming back. Have you got that? We're coming back to this room and we're getting the Doctor out."

Aneres and Jefferson shared a look, knowing the probability of getting back there was low. With that in mind, it was only due to her immense faith in the Doctor that pushed Aneres to go through with their plan.

"Okay. Danny, you go first, then Aneres, then you, Miss Tyler, then Toby. I'll go last in defensive position. Now, come on, quick as you can!" Everyone nodded at Jefferson and started clambering into the tunnel quickly, each praying this would work.

**Wow, another one! I don't have much to say other than that and that my cat is so cute when she naps on my stomach and I hope you all are staying safe and healthy. Oh, also please review with questions, comments or concerns! Bye bye!**

**-Angel**


	27. The Satan Pit: Send it Back to Hell

As soon as they entered the maintenance tunnels everyone moved faster than they ever had in their lives. Aneres kept looking behind her every so often as they moved, paranoia starting to form in the back of her mind with each passing second. Finally, they had covered enough distance that Aneres allowed herself to just look forward. Unfortunately, upon doing so she caught a whiff of a not so pleasant odor and shook her head. Stress did bizarre things to the human body.

Danny's comm crackled as he spoke into it, "Which way do we go?"

"Just go straight ahead. Keep going till I say so." The group followed Zach's order and continued crawling forwards. After a moment, Rose decided to break the silence.

"Not your best angle, Aneres," She commented. The Time Lady rolled her eyes and kept crawling forward.

"The Doctor would disagree," Aneres shot back with a smirk.

"I don't know, it could be worse," Toby griped as he looked forward at Rose's arse. Rose's face darkened with embarrassment.

"Oi!" Aneres bit back a grin as Zach spoke once again.

"Straight on until you find junction seven point one. Keep breathing. I'm feeding you air. I've got you," The group sighed in relief and kept crawling until they reached another junction.

"We're at seven point one, sir," Danny said. Aneres took a second to sit still and take a few deep breaths despite the odor still hanging in the air.

"Okay, I've got you. I'm just aerating the next section."

"Getting kind of cramped, sir. Can't you hurry up?"

"I'm working on half power, here," Zach snapped. Jefferson rolled his eyes and shouted.

"Stop complaining," Aneres laughed at Jefferson and looked over at Danny.

"I think you're gonna need to stop complaining," She joked. Danny rolled his eyes playfully.

"I heard." Aneres turned to shout back to Jefferson.

"He heard!" Toby sighed angrily.

"But the air's getting a bit thin," He griped. Rose scoffed.

"He's complaining now," Rose pointed out. Jefferson nodded.

"I heard." Rose took a moment to sniff the air and grimaced.

"Danny, is that you?" Danny glared at the blonde woman.

"I'm not exactly happy," He snapped. Aneres shrugged and kept waiting for the junction to open.

"I'm just moving the air," Zach said suddenly, "I've got to oxygenate the next section. Now, keep calm or it's going to feel worse."

BANG. The entire group jumped at the sound and started breathing faster, adrenaline flooding through them faster than ever. Danny was the first to speak.

"What was that?" He demanded.

"Mister Jefferson, what was that?" Aneres shouted back. Rose shook her head and tried to stay calm, but was failing miserably.

"What's that noise?" Toby asked desperately.

Jefferson seemed to be the only one remotely calm, and casually asked, "Captain, what was that?"

"The junction in Habitation Five's been opened. It must be the Ood," Zach grumbled as he kept working. "They're in the tunnels!"

"Well, open the gate!" Danny shouted desperately. Zach let out a groan of frustration.

"I've got to get the air in!"

"Just open it, sir!" Aneres shook her head at Danny's desperation, knowing that all he was doing was wasting their current air supply.

"Where are they? Are they close?" Rose demanded, the paranoia starting to get to her as well.

"I don't know. I can't tell. I can't see them. The computer doesn't register Ood as proper life forms," Aneres sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Well, that wasn't a very smart decision," She muttered coldly. Danny was still shouting.

"Open the gate!" Aneres turned back around as the gate opened and shuffled after Danny while they struggled to hear Zach over the comm.

"Danny, turn left. Immediate left." Danny nodded and took the first left with everyone following suit behind them. Jefferson frowned as an idea occurred to him.

"The Ood, sir. can't you trap them? Cut off the air?" Jefferson asked.

"Not without cutting off yours," Zach paused, "Danny, turn right. Go right! Go fast, Dan. They're going to catch up."

Aneres cursed under her breath as she scrambled after Danny, her knees and hands aching as they landed on the metal panelling repeatedly. Rose and the others stayed as close as possible, until Jefferson stopped.

"I'll maintain defensive position," Jefferson decided. Aneres looked back at him and down at her gun before sliding it down the passage to him. Rose ducked as Aneres threw a pack of ammunition towards him.

"You'll need those more than me," She explained while Jefferson gathered them up. He nodded at her gratefully. "Stay strong Jefferson."

Rose scoffed and looked over. "You can't stop!"

Jefferson sighed and repositioned his weapon while bracing himself against the wall of the maintenance shaft. "Miss Tyler, that's my job. You and Miss Aneres have your task, now see to it."

Rose opened her mouth to protest but Toby beat her to it. "You heard what he said, now shift!"

Aneres and Danny went back to scrambling down the hall with Rose and Toby not too far behind. Before they made it to the next junction, gunshots echoed. Aneres winced and kept crawling, praying he was going to make it out. Eventually, they reached the next gate.

"Eight point two. Open eight point two. Zach!" Danny ordered. There was a pause from Zach's end of the comm. "Open eight point two!"

"I've got to aerate it," Zach snapped back.

"Open it now!" Aneres suppressed the urge to slap Danny as the air got thinner and thinner the more he shouted. She took another two deep breaths before holding it, incredibly grateful for her larger lungs.

"I'm trying!" Zach shouted back. Danny growled and started punching the gate wildly, panting for air as he did. Rose growled with frustration, as did Aneres.

"Danny, I am not above punching you if you keep that," The Time Lady snapped. Danny turned to snap back, but Rose cut him off.

"Danny, stop it. That's not helping," Toby was the next one to let out a groan of exasperation.

"Zach, get it open!" Zach sighed over the comm at Toby's words.

"Jefferson, I've got to open eight point two by closing eight point one. You've got to get past the junction. Now move. That's an order, now move!" He shouted. Aneres listened carefully and heard Jefferson still firing at the Ood. Zach growled over the comm, "I'm going to lose oxygen, Jefferson, I can't stop for your dramatics!"

Aneres grinned as the gate opened, signalling Jefferson's retreat from the Ood. Danny was cheering as they moved forward, only stopping when Zach spoke again.

"Danny, turn left and head for nine point two. That's the last one. Jefferson, you've got to move faster. John, move!" Aneres paled as they kept going around the left hand turn and towards nine point two, all without a single glimpse of Jefferson following them. Rose turned to shout desperately.

"Mister Jefferson!" Toby snarled at her and kept crawling, about to run Rose over.

"Keep going!" The whole group stilled as they heard another gate close, followed by Jefferson's voice over the comm.

"Regret to inform, sir, I was a bit slow. Not so fast, these days." Aneres sighed and looked down at the ground disappointedly. Rose held back a sob while Toby looked largely unaffected and Danny seemed about to piss himself from fear. Zach was the first to respond.

"I can't open eight point one, John. Not without losing air for the others."

"And quite right too, sir. I think I bought them a little time." Aneres wanted to scream at the man. He had bought them ages of time and instead of being able to survive he was trapped. If she ever got her hands on whatever was torturing them, she was going to put it through a million versions of hell until it got what it deserved.

"There's nothing I can do, John," Zach paused, his voice failing him for a moment, "I'm sorry."

"You've done enough, sir. Made a very good captain under the circumstances. May I ask, if you can't add oxygen to this section, can you speed up the process of its removal?" Jefferson requested. Aneres frowned but waited for Zach to respond.

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"Well, if I might choose the manner of my departure, sir, lack of air seems more natural than, well, let's say death by Ood. I'd appreciate it, sir!" Aneres closed her eyes and prayed Zach wouldn't deny him that. Dying without a chance of a proper burial or being by your loved ones was bad enough, she knew that from personal experience, but not choosing how to die when you knew you were going to anyways was far worse. Zach replied a few seconds later.

"Godspeed, Mister Jefferson."

"Thank you, sir." Aneres waited, looking behind her until there was a hiss of air. Her eyes squeezed shut and she let out a shuddering breath. Danny's eyes widened in shock and horror, as did Rose's. Toby remained impassive, waiting for another order from the captain.

"Report Officer John Maynard Jefferson PKD deceased," Zach eventually said, tears audible in his voice, "With honours. 43 K two point one."

Danny was the first to respond to Zach. "Zach, we're at the final junction, nine point two. And er, if my respects could be on record. He saved our lives."

There was silence for a few seconds as Zach cleared his throat and composed himself before replying. "Noted. Opening nine point two."

Aneres looked up as the gate opened, only to yelp as an Ood stared back at them from the other side. Danny and Rose started screaming frantically as they crawled away, the former struggling to get around Aneres to do so. The Time Lady forced herself up against the wall as they scrambled away, leaving her face to face with another murderous alien. She smirked and laid on her back before kicking her legs out, nailing the Ood in the eyes with her heels.

"Lower nine point two! Hurry, Zach!" Rose screamed.

"Back! Back! Back!" Danny shrieked at the others. Toby rolled his eyes.

"We can't go back! The gang point's sealed off. We're stuck," Rose looked up at that and realized there were grates above them. She grinned and pointed up at them while Aneres kept kicking the Ood with all the strength she could muster until the gate snapped shut.

"Come on! Up!" Rose shouted while she punched at the grating until it popped out. Aneres rolled back onto her front and followed Rose out, with Danny close behind. Toby, however, stayed seated in the tunnel. Rose looked down and started shouting again.

"Come on! Toby, come on!" Toby didn't say anything. "Toby, get out of there!"

Toby snapped back to normal and scrambled over to the opening with pleading eyes. "Help me! Oh, my God. Help me!"

Aneres ignored the man as Rose and Danny reached down to help him up, more focused on the Ood that were sprinting toward them from down the hallway. She didn't move, knowing the Ood had the upper advantage here with the ability to use their orbs now that they were standing up. Aneres turned back when she head Toby's body land on the grating and Danny's shouting.

"It's this way!"

Zach's voice echoed over the comm a few seconds later. "Hurry it up!"

Aneres grinned as they burst through the door into Ood Habitation, where Danny immediately ran to the main computer on the cat-walk. He fumbled to remove the chip from his pocket, but eventually jammed it into one of the ports. Aneres watched as he typed frantically at the keyboard, forcing the code from the chip into the broadcast as best he could.

"Transmit!" Rose screeched. Aneres refused to shout at Danny and instead went to brace herself against the door leading into Ood Habitation.

"I'm trying, I'm trying! I'm getting at it!" Danny shouted at Rose. Aneres winced as Ood started running from other doors and up the stairs to the control monitor. Danny's typing grew faster with each passing second.

"Danny, get that thing transmitting!" Rose shouted again. Danny let out a cheer as the code went through, the monitor flashing Basic 100 for a few more seconds before it dropped to zero instantly. The Ood stopped in their tracks, writhing in pain before dropping to the floor, limp. Aneres let out a sigh of relief and stepped away from the door.

"You did it! Good job Danny!" She shouted over. Danny gave her a wide grin and a thumbs up while Rose cheered, ecstatic.

"We did it!"

"Yes!" Danny said, delighted and bouncing in place. Aneres grabbed the comm and spoke into it again.

"Zach, we neutralized the Ood. It's safe enough now to get the Doctor." Rose's smile widened impossibly further at those words as butterflies flew around in her stomach.

"I'm on my way." Aneres let out a loud sigh of relief and let her body relax for a moment. Once her body processed most of the adrenaline, she straightened her spine again and turned back to the others.

"Let's go."

TEotOS

The Doctor looked around slowly as Ida carefully lowered him further into the Pit, expecting something to jump out at any moment to attack him. However, he was pleasantly surprised by the lack of such an event and decided to continue some form of conversation with Ida.

"You get representations of the Horned Beast right across the universe, in the myths and legends of a million worlds. Earth, Draconia, Velconsadine, Daemos. The Kaled god of war. It's the same image, over and over again," The Doctor frowned thoughtfully, "Maybe that idea came from somewhere, bleeding through. The thought at the back of every sentient mind."

"Emanating from here?" Ida asked, more than terrified by that theory. She shook it off and kept lowering the Doctor into the pit.

"Could be."

"But if this is the original, does that make it real? Does that make it the actual devil, though?"

"Well, if that's what you want to believe. Maybe that's what the devil is, in the end. An idea." The Doctor stopped speaking as he lurched to a stop. Ida looked over and cursed under her breath at the sight of the cable having run out. She looked back down at the dangling Time Lord.

"That's it. That's all we've got. You getting any sort of readout?" The Doctor shook his head in response.

"Nothing. Could be miles to go, yet. Or could be thirty feet. No way of telling. I could survive thirty feet," the Doctor commented. Ida shook her head wildly.

"Oh no you don't. I'm pulling you back up," She decided. The Doctor rolled his eyes and held out his sonic screwdriver, freezing the drum in place. Ida stared down at him, horrified.

"What're you doing?"

"You bring me back, then we're just going to sit there and run out of air. I've got to go down." Ida felt tears ting her eyes as he spoke.

"But you can't. Doctor, you can't." The Doctor smiled kindly.

"Call it an act of faith." Ida shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, forcing tears down her cheeks.

"But I don't want to die on my own," She sobbed. The Doctor winced for a moment before smiling again.

"I know." He reached to his sides and started undoing his carabiners that held him to the rope. He looked back up at Ida a moment later. "I didn't ask. Have you got any sort of faith?"

Ida shook her head. "Not really. I was brought up Neo Classic Congregational, because of my mum. She was. My old mum," She had a sad smile on her face as she spoke, "But no, I never believed."

"Neo Classics, have they got a devil?" He asked gently. Ida stared down and shook her head again.

"No, not as such. Just er, the things that men do." The Doctor shrugged.

"Same thing in the end." Ida watched as he continued undoing the carabiners.

"What about you?" The Doctor looked back up with a thoughtful frown.

"I believe," He paused, "I believe I haven't seen everything, I don't know. It's funny, isn't it? The things you make up. The rules. If that thing had said it came from beyond the universe, I'd believe it, but before the universe? Impossible. Doesn't fit my rule. Still, that's why I keep travelling. To be proved wrong. Thank you, Ida."

"Don't go!" She cried out, starting to sob from within the suit. The Doctor stared at her, his fingers around the last carabiner.

"If they get back in touch, if you talk to Aneres, just tell her. Tell her. Oh, she knows," And with that, the Doctor fell, taking his light of hope into the darkness of the Pit. Ida sobbed softly and released the cable, only to jump as the comms turned back on.

"Doctor, are you there? Doctor, Ida, can you hear me?" Ida took a deep breath and tried to calm down as Rose spoke frantically into the comm. "Are you there, Doctor?"

"He's gone," Ida whispered. She could feel the tension on the other side of the comm as she spoke. A moment later, there was static as someone grabbed the comm from Rose,

"Where," Ida shivered at the darkness in Aneres' voice, "Is he, Ida?"

"He fell into the pit. And I don't know how deep it is. Miles and miles and miles," She rambled. Ida heard Aneres take a very long, very deep breath.

"Did he actually fall or did he let go?" Aneres asked coldly. Ida tensed and eventually whispered back.

"I couldn't stop him, he detached himself from the cable," Ida paused again to take a deep breath, "He said your name, and that you would know what he meant." There was silence from the other end of the comm until Zach spoke.

"I'm sorry. Ida? There's no way of reaching you. No cable, no back up. You're ten miles down, we can't get there." Ida sobbed softly as her Captain spoke. She looked up after a moment to look around the cavern again.

"You should see this place, Zach. It's beautiful," She sniffled and sobbed again, "Well, I wanted to discover things, and here I am."

Zach paused before continuing. "We've got to abandon the base, I'm declaring this mission unsafe. All we can do is make sure no one ever comes here again." Ida sighed, disappointed.

"But we'll never find out what it was."

"Well, maybe that's best," Zach murmured. Ida nodded to herself from within the suit.

"Yeah."

"Officer Scott-" Ida cut him off.

"It's all right. Just go. Good luck."

"And you," Ida sniffled as Zach cut the comm link. She was alone.

TEotOS

"Danny, Toby, close down the feed links. Get the retrotropes online, then get to the rocket and strap yourselves in. We're leaving," Zach ordered. He hated leaving Ida behind, but he had already exhausted all their options of leaving with the most people alive. Aneres watched him carefully, knowing he meant them too, but also knowing exactly who was going to pitch a fit.

"I'm not going." Bingo. Rose Tyler was glaring daggers at Zach as everyone mobilized. Aneres pinched the bridge of her nose while Zach stared Rose down.

"Rose, there's space for you," He looked over at Aneres, "Both of you."

Rose shook her head while Aneres neglected to comment. "No, I'm going to wait for the Doctor. Just like he waited for me."

Aneres bit back a growl at that comment, glaring at Rose darkly. Zach sighed and rested one of his hands on Rose's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but he's dead." Rose shook her head desperately, tears brimming in her eyes.

"You don't know him. 'Cause he's not. I'm telling you, he's not," Aneres had to agree with that one, even though neither of them were speaking through the connection, she could feel that he was alive, "And even if he was, how could I leave him all on his own, all the way down there? No, I'm going to stay."

Zach sighed resignedly. "Then I apologise for this. Danny, Toby? Make her secure."

Aneres watched as Toby and Danny grabbed Rose tightly by her upper arms and held her tightly while Zach reached into a cupboard and pulled out a syringe. Rose paled and thrashed harder in their grasp.

"Help me Aneres! I need to wait for the Doctor!" She shrieked. Aneres shook her head and stared at Rose blankly.

"The Doctor will find us, not the other way around," Rose looked as if she'd been slapped. "So, either come willingly or deal with being sedated."

There was a pause as Zach, Toby and Danny waited for Rose to react. They winced a second later as Rose let out an ear splitting shriek.

"How dare you!" She continued writhing in their grasp, "How dare you claim him as yours! You are nothing! Nothing!" Aneres watched as Zach approached, wincing in pain from her shrieks before roughly jabbing the needle in her arm. Rose froze in the men's grasp and then went limp, her head lolling to the side. Her eyes fluttered open and shut as the injection spread through her body.

"I have lost too many people. I am not leaving you behind," He looked over at Aneres who nodded at him, "Let's get on board." The five of them moved forward at Zach's order, weaving down the hallways of the base in almost complete silence. Aneres winced as they came across the bodies of several Ood that had been killed by the brainstorm, and cringed further as one of them twitched.

"Did that one just move?" Toby whispered fearfully. Aneres shook her head.

"It's picking up leftover electrical impulses from the other Ood through the telepathic field, which is magnifying it enough to force the twitching. Think of it like cutting the head off an ant and watching its body continue to writhe in pain," The Time Lady explained. The crew members stared at her, horrified. "It's common in creatures with a telepathic connection to their brethren."

Zach nodded slowly before turning back to the task at hand and leading them to the opposite end of the base. Finally, they reached Door 56 and opened it to reveal the rocket. "Alright everyone," Zach took a deep breath, "Strap in."

TEotOS

The Doctor groaned as his eyes opened blearily. He vaguely noticed the shards of glass from his broken faceplate on the ground beside him as he rose to his feet. His muscles stretched and a few of his joints cracked as he looked around, confused.

"I'm breathing. Air cushion to support the fall. You can breath down here, Ida. Can you hear me, Ida?" There was no response from Ida on the other side of the comm. "Probably out of range."

The Doctor reached into one of his many pockets and pulled out a torch, which he promptly turned on and flashed through the otherwise pitch black cavern. His eyes widened as he lit up a wall completely covered in art. The Doctor slowly walked over and moved the beam of light across the various depictions.

"The history of some big battle. Man against Beast. I don't know if you're getting this, Ida," He paused, hoping for a response that never came, "Hope so. Anyway, they defeated the Beast and imprisoned it."

The Doctor paused as he reached the last painting, which showed two bronze urns. The same bronze urns that sat on pedestals a few feet away from him. "Or maybe that's the key," He reached out and touched one urn, causing both to light up. "Or the gate, or the bars."

A rumble. That was all the Doctor heard before turning to see none other than what was most assuredly, almost definitely, the Devil. Its horns, thicker than the strongest steel beams, and its arms formed by rotten and sinewed flesh were chained to the walls of the cave. All of the color left the Doctor's face as the Beast let out an ear-splitting roar from its decomposing mouth filled with sharp fangs that smelt quite literally of blood and death. The Doctor was torn between awe and sheer terror as the Beast quieted and the Time Lord had a better chance to observe it.

This creature could have stood taller than the glass dome of Arcadia if it could stand upright, without chains. The Doctor watched as it moved, tugging on its chains desperately while growling lowly. He shuddered as the ground beneath his feet shook with each passing second. He inhaled softly, and addressed the creature.

"I accept that you exist. I don't have to accept what you are, but you're physical existence, I'll give you that," He began before frowning in confusion, "I don't understand. I was expected down here. I was given a safe landing and air. You need me for something. What for? Have I got to, I don't know, beg an audience? Or is there a ritual? Some sort of incantation or summons or spell? All these things I don't believe in, are they real? Speak to me! Tell me!"

The Beast didn't respond except with another low growl and baring its fangs at the Time Lord. "You won't talk. Or you can't talk. Oh, hold on, wait a minute, just let me. Oh! No. Yes! No. Think it through. You spoke before. I heard your voice. An intelligent voice. No, more than that. Brilliant."

The Doctor walked back and forth on the ledge, inspecting the creature as best he could. "But, looking at you now, all I can see is Beast. The animal. Just the body. You're just the body, the physical form. What's happened to your mind, hmm? Where's it gone? Where's that intelligence?" His face fell, "Oh, no."

Aneres. The Beast had always been inside Toby, just waiting to come out, and now it was stuck on a base with the one person he absolutely could not live without. The Doctor ran his hands through his hair frantically as he realized exactly how utterly fucked they were. His Aneres, his _Esha_, she would die if he couldn't stop it. Her whirlwind spirit, her sparkling smile, her eyes of emerald green, the eye to his storm, she would be gone. And it would be his fault, again. His eyes darkened as he looked back up at the Beast. He didn't know how to fix this, but he would be damned if he wasn't going to try.

And then another rumble resounded, this time from above the base, above the planet in its entirety. "The rocket," He whispered, a light of hope filling his heart. If she was on the rocket, she was safe. If she was safe, his life was complete. The Doctor's lips stretched into a feral grin as he stared right into the Beast's eyes.

"You're imprisoned, long time ago. Before the universe, after, sideways, in between, doesn't matter. The prison is perfect. It's absolute, it's eternal," His eyes widened and he grinned, "Oh, yes! Open the prison, the gravity field collapses. This planet falls into the black hole! You escape, you die. Brilliant!"

The Doctor paused and frowned to himself, realizing that was far too simple. "But that's just the body. The body is trapped, that's all. The devil is an idea. In all those civilisations, just an idea. But an idea is hard to kill. An idea could escape. The mind. The mind of the great Beast. The mind can escape!"

His eyes darkened with a deep rage, a rage that wouldn't rest until he revenged himself on the creature that threatened him and the woman he loved. "Oh, but that's it! You didn't give me air, your jailers did. They set this up all those years ago! They need me alive, because if you're escaping, then I've got to stop you. If I destroy your prison, your body is destroyed. Your mind with it."

The Doctor let out a short bark of a laugh and grabbed a nearby rock, preparing to throw it directly at one of the urns. But, he stopped. He turned back to the Beast, shattered and broken as he kept thinking it out.

"But then you're clever enough to use this whole system against me. If I destroy this planet, I destroy the gravity field. The rocket. The rocket loses protection and falls into the black hole. I have to sacrifice Aneres," The Doctor's body trembled as it fought to contain the Oncoming Storm. He wanted nothing more than to rip this Beast apart with his bare hands, even if it took him a millenia. But, he couldn't.

"So, that's the trap. Or the test, or the final judgment, I don't know. But if I kill you, I kill her. Except that implies in this big grand scheme of Gods and Devils that she's just a victim. But I've seen a lot of this universe," He grinned darkly at the Beast, "I've seen fake gods and bad gods and demi-gods and would-be gods, and out of all that, out of that whole pantheon, if I believe in one thing, just one thing, I believe in her." There was a crash as the urn shattered.

TEotOS

Aneres gasped as the rocket jolted harshly, smacking her skull against the back of her chair. Danny looked around fearfully, while Toby's features morphed with a deranged sort of terror and Zach started frantically pushing buttons. Rose let out a shriek as the rocket rocked back and forth, shaking its passengers from side to side.

"What happened? What was that?" Danny demanded, his head whipping around as he looked over all of the readings.

"What's he doing? What is he doing?" Toby shrieked while thrashing in his seat. Aneres' breathing picked up as she clutched the arms of her chair tightly. Zach let out a shout of pain as he was roughly slammed to the side.

"We've lost the funnel. Gravity collapse!" He shouted. Aneres felt her hearts stop. The funnel was gone. They were trapped. They were going to fall into a black hole. She was going to die without him by her side. She was going to leave him all alone. She failed. Everything else melted away as she panicked.

"What does that mean?" Rose shrieked from her chair. Zach blinked back tears as he shouted back.

"We can't escape. We're headed straight for the black hole!" Rose cried out as the rocket continued to slam their bodies against various surfaces. Aneres remained silent, staring into space, until she noticed a black mark on Toby's neck. And another, and another. Soon, his entire body was covered and his eyes returned to their blood red color from before. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I am the rage," Toby growled. His lips curled into a snarl crossed with a grin and he turned to address Aneres.

"And the bile and the ferocity," Aneres reached out slowly as he watched her. She felt her mind clearing. Felt her skin bubbling with the desire to kill. To protect. To rid them of this disease.

"I am the Prince and the Fall and the enemy. I am the sin and the fear and the darkness." Rose and Danny were screaming unintelligibly. Aneres wrapped her fingers around the bolt gun that Zach had brought on board. Toby let a stream of fire leap from his mouth and cackled as Danny and Rose screamed louder. Zach was paralyzed with fear.

"I shall never die. The thought of me is forever. In the bleeding hearts of men, in their vanity and obsession and lust." Aneres blinked at him slowly as she raised the bolt gun with one hand and aimed it at the front screen of the rocket. Rose vomited on the floor of the rocket as her breathing quickened beyond hyperventilation. Danny and Zach didn't know what to do, their fear chilling them to the core.

"No man shall ever destroy me. None!"Toby cackled. Aneres' lips twitched up in a smile as she whispered four words.

"I am no man." The bolt flew through the front screen, Aneres reached over and unclicked Toby's seatbelt, cackling loudly as he was dragged through space, towards his doom and destruction. Zach and Danny watched in shock as a man they once considered their friend roared into the endless night, and perished amongst the stars.

"Emergency shield!" Zach eventually managed to shout as the vacuum continued to suck the air from the rocket. A metal shutter quickly snapped across the hole, letting them breathe freely. Unfortunately the rocket was still descending into oblivion, following the beast to its doom.

"We've still lost the gravity funnel. We can't escape the black hole," Zach whispered hoarsely. Aneres dropped the bolt gun and sagged into her chair while she caught her breath. She looked over and saw Rose had made herself pass out, vomit still at the corner of her mouth from earlier.

"It's alright," The two men turned to stare at Aneres, "We stopped it, and now there's just a little less evil in the world."

"Some victory. We're going in," Zach muttered bitterly. Danny watched the monitors in horror as they kept changing until they flashed red suddenly.

"The planet's lost orbit. It's falling!" Danny shouted, watching the planet crumble within seconds. There was a pause before he spoke again. "The planet's gone. I'm sorry."

"I did my best," Zach sighed, looking over at Danny, "But hey! The first human beings to fall inside a black hole. How about that? History."

And then they stopped. Aneres froze and a disbelieving smile stretched across her face.

"We're turning. We're turning around," Zach grinned as he spoke, "We're turning away!" He leaned across the dashboard and hugged Danny tightly. The two men let a few tears fall, so relieved they were okay. And then they heard something that should've been impossible.

"Sorry about the hijack, Captain!" Aneres sobbed delightedly at the sound of her Tether's voice, "This is the good ship Tardis. Now, first thing's first. Have you got Aneres and one Rose Tyler on board?"

"We're here," Aneres shouted, her heart about to burst with euphoria. "We're both here! Oh thank god."

"What are you doing Doctor?" Danny asked with a grin.

"I'm just towing you home. Gravity schmavity. Our people practically invented black holes," Aneres rolled her eyes as he paused, "Well, in fact, they did. In a couple of minutes, we'll be nice and safe. Oh, and Captain?" Zach perked up.

"Can we do a swap? Say, if you give me Aneres and Rose Tyler, I'll give you Ida Scott? How about that?" Zach and Danny let out a loud cheer and hugged each other again. Aneres closed her eyes and smiled, so proud of her Tether.

"She's alive!" Zach crowed with delight.

"Yes. Thank God," Danny whispered.

"Yeah! Bit of oxygen starvation, but she should be all right. I couldn't save the Ood. I only had time for one trip. They went down with the planet." No one said anything for several seconds. Finally Aneres spke up.

"There were no Ood to save, they died long before the planet went down. I'm sorry, Doctor," She whispered. The Doctor gasped softly over the comm, but said nothing more until he managed to pull the rocket far enough away from the black hole.

"Ah! Entering clear space. End of the line. Mission closed," He said over the comms. Aneres quickly unbuckled herself and went over to Rose, shaking her gently. The blonde woke up and wiped her mouth instantly, still tasting vomit. Aneres explained what had happened just as the rocket doors opened to reveal the Doctor standing in the console room.

Aneres stared at him for several seconds before sprinting inside and jumping into his outstretched arms. Her head buried itself into the crook of his neck, her arms wound around his neck and her legs wrapped around his torso. He let out a soft hum as he breathed in her scent and clutched her tightly, never wanting to let her go. Neither of them noticed Rose stumbling inside until she turned and retched again, vomit pouring from her mouth and into space. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at his companion and set his Tether down.

"You alright?" Aneres sighed and walked over to the girl to pull her hair back.

"She made herself sick on the flight by hyperventilating," Aneres explained. The Doctor winced and turned back to the crew standing in the rocket with Ida beside them. They stared at him, still unable to comprehend what had happened since his arrival on their base.

"We'll be off, now. Have a good trip home," He started to walk to the console but turned around again, "And the next time you get curious about something. Oh, what's the point? You'll just go blundering in. The human race." The crew blushed as the Doctor sent them a fond yet exasperated smile.

"But Doctor," He looked directly as Ida, "what did you find down there? That creature, what was it?" The Doctor shrugged and leaned against the door.

"I don't know. Never did decipher that writing. But that's good, Day I know everything? Might as well stop," He quipped. Aneres shook her head fondly as Rose calmed down, allowing her to leave the girl and stand next to her Tether.

"What do you think it was, really?" Rose managed to choke out. The Doctor sighed and looked over at her while wrapping an arm around Aneres' shoulder.

"I think we beat it. That's good enough for me," He replied. Rose shook her head worriedly.

"It said I was going to die in battle." The Doctor tensed but shook his head at the girl.

"Then it lied," Rose still looked unsure, but didn't say anything. The Doctor looked back at Zach, Danny and Ida. "Right, onwards, upwards. Ida? See you again, maybe."

"I hope so," Ida admitted. Aneres smiled at the three of them

"Thank you, we couldn't have made it out without any of you," The Time Lady murmured. Ida grinned at her while Zach and Danny gave her a salute along with smiles. Rose smiled at them once she wiped her face clean.

"Yeah, thanks guys," She said quietly. The three of them then turned and walked further into the console, but stopped as Ida spoke up again.

"Hang on though, Doctor, Aneres. You never really said. You three, who are you?" The Doctor shared a grin with Aneres and kissed her on the cheek before replying.

"Oh, the stuff of legend," Ida laughed softly at that. Out of anything in the universe, that was the best description for them, wasn't it? The trio waved at them one last time, and then the doors to their ship closed, carrying them away into the far corners of the universe.

**HI AGAIN! I'm so glad we've made it through the Impossible Planet and the Satan Pit because these are some of the harder episodes to write in my opinion, especially if you want to do it well. Hopefully I accomplished that, and I hope I do just as well with the original chapter I have planned to publish next. Please leave a review with comments, questions or concerns and I hope you have an amazing day as well as an amazing Easter! Bye bye readers!**

**-Angel**


	28. A Long Awaited Visit

Aneres had left the console room almost as soon as she had arrived, muttering under her breath as she went about food. The Doctor had followed her, unwilling to let his Tether out of his sight for any longer than necessary after the trip's ordeals. After the Time Lords departed, Rose was left to her own devices and decided to sit on the captain's chair for a second.

As she stared into space, listening to the hum of the Tardis flying through the Time Vortex, Rose realized several things had changed over the course of that last trip; with the most confusing one being the Doctor's behavior. The more she thought about him and what he'd said and done on Kroptor, the more she realized how much he _didn't_ notice her. He had eyes, ears, thoughts and love for Aneres, she knew that despite how much she wanted it to be a lie. However, she hadn't expected him to start putting Aneres so far in front of his companion. She hadn't expected to feel like an afterthought to the Doctor.

Rose shook her head as if to banish the thoughts from her mind. Unfortunately, it only seemed to agitate them and force them onto the forefront of her thoughts. As time passed, the thoughts morphed into frantic questioning.

Did he even want her to be his companion anymore? Was he actually going to drop her off somewhere now that he had Aneres and they were open with their relationship? Had Mickey been right all along? Was she wrong? Was Aneres actually the love of his life? Did she even have a chance?

Rose's fingers tangled in her hair as her mind raced, tugging every so often in an attempt to ground herself. Finally, she took a deep breath and let a soft laugh escape her lips. She was being silly. Of course she had a chance. There was no way the Doctor could love her as he said he did. Who could love a murderer? Someone who, according to the devil, bathed in blood and war? The Doctor didn't want a soulless killer like her. He wanted an angel, like her.

Rose grinned and opened her eyes. She would be fine. She just needed to get rid of Aneres, which had always been her plan anyways. And so, Rose stood up to try and find the Doctor and Aneres. If there was ever a time to flirt and win someone's heart, it was right then for Rose Tyler.

TEotOS

The Doctor watched as his Tether rummaged through their fridge while continuing her muttering. He raised his eyebrows as she pulled away with her arms full of ingredients, among which were chicken thighs, eggs, milk, and a giant block of cheese. Aneres set them down on the island behind her and turned back around to walk over to the pantry where she collected some potatoes and onions. She looked up at him and grinned.

"Wanna help? I'm planning on cooking a lot, and it would be nice to have company." The Doctor nodded excitedly and removed his suit jacket to unbutton his shirt cuff and roll up the sleeves to his elbows. He walked over and pressed a kiss to Aneres' cheek as well as tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

"What should I do?" The Doctor asked sweetly. Aneres looked up at him thoughtfully.

"Well, if you could wash the potatoes and peel the onions that would be great and then we'll go from there," She decided. Her Tether nodded and grabbed the root vegetables while walking to the opposite side of the island where the sink was. The Doctor switched the tap on and grabbed the first potato, submerging it in the warm water and carefully scrubbing it. After a little while he moved on to the next potato, and the next and the next until all of them were washed and sitting on a paper towel. He started on the onions next, trying to touch his face minimally as he peeled back each layer.

"I'm glad we do this," He suddenly commented. Aneres looked up and raised an eyebrow questioningly as she prepared the chicken. "Cook together. I remember doing it-" The Doctor paused and swallowed slowly, "With the kids."

Aneres stared at him for a moment before a sad smile stretched across her face. "I remember that too." She admitted. "Especially when they were little, they always got so excited when they did something exactly right."

The Doctor chuckled and nodded. "Especially Sorthu, he always did that little-"

"Happy dance," They finished together. Aneres stared at the Doctor as he quieted.

"It's okay to talk about them, you know," She softly whispered. The Doctor blinked a few times. "I miss them too, and yes it's painful, but I don't want to never mention them again."

The Doctor looked down at the onion in his hand for several seconds before taking a deep breath and smiling at her. "I know, I feel the same way. It's just hard to not feel like-"

"Like it's all your fault?" Aneres guessed. The Doctor nodded and removed the last layer of skin on the onion. "It's not your fault, it's not my fault, it's war's fault. War took them from us and there was nothing we could do to prevent that."

She sighed and cracked two eggs into a bowl, followed by a splash of milk. The Doctor watched her whisk them together and set them aside before grabbing a bag of flour and scooping some into another bowl. He picked up the potatoes and onions and brought them over to her side of the island. "What do you want me to do with these?"

Aneres frowned down at the root vegetables. "Can you grate them up for me please? Not too finely, just enough to break them up a bit."

The Doctor nodded and pulled out the grater as well as a large bowl before getting to work. By the time he finished, the bowl was almost filled to the brim with onions and potatoes. Aneres leaned over to inspect them and nodded.

"Perfect, now we just," She scooped out a bit of flour and grabbed a salt shaker, "Add these," She dumped the powders in and grabbed two more eggs, "And those." The Doctor watched her crack the eggs into the mix.

"Do I mix it now?" He asked, his eyes fixed on her face as she worked. Aneres nodded and handed him a spatula.

"You can use this or you can use your hands, whichever you prefer." She grabbed one of the chicken thighs and dunked it in the egg and milk mixture, followed by the flour, and then the egg and milk again. The Doctor set the spatula down and gently massaged the potato, egg, onion and flour mixture between his fingers. Silence reigned in the kitchen as Aneres set all of the chicken thighs aside and pulled out two pans along with a bottle of oil, a jar of peanut butter, a bottle of soy sauce, some ginger, garlic and finally a bottle of sesame oil.

"Does this look right?" The Doctor asked while extending the bowl to Aneres. She looked at it and smiled.

"Perfect, now I need you to shape those into patties and place them on the counter, next to the stove. You're gonna be frying those in the smaller pan while I use the bigger one for the chicken," Aneres explained. The Doctor nodded and started shaping the mixture into small, flat circles in the palms of his hands. Aneres on the other hand, had started peeling her ginger and mincing her garlic on a cutting board. They didn't say anything, just enjoyed the sounds and smells of cooking as well as each other's company.

TEotOS

Aneres grinned as she set the last plate down on the table, their dinner finally done cooking. She had made fried chicken wings cooked in a spicy peanut sauce with potato latkes on the side, as well as some fresh fruit that the Doctor had chopped up for her and placed in a bowl. The Doctor grinned back and pulled into a side-hug while pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

"Shall we let Rose know dinner's ready?" He asked gently. Aneres thought it over for a second before eventually nodding.

"Sure." The Doctor's smile widened and he left the kitchen to hunt down the blonde, who turned out to not be that far away already. Rose smiled at him as he walked over, slightly surprised to see him somewhat disheveled. "Aneres and I just made dinner, if you'd like to join us."

Rose blinked but otherwise didn't react. "Sure," She eventually replied.

The Doctor nodded once and turned around, leading Rose back to the kitchen where Aneres was setting out plates and glasses on the table. She looked up as they entered.

"Hello Rose, feel free to have a seat," Aneres offered, gesturing to a seat that sat alone on one side of the table while two were on the other. Rose gave her a pained smile in return and took a seat, using every fiber of her restraint to not protest when Aneres and the Doctor sat next to each other. Before she knew it, they were digging into the food and having snippets of conversation, which ended up on the topic of their next trip.

"I'm thinking somewhere tropical to relax," Rose suggested as she took another bite of the chicken. She'd never admit it aloud, but Aneres could definitely cook and she was actually enjoying the food. The Doctor blushed a dark red at that suggestion as images of Aneres in rather… skimpy clothing items flashed through his mind. The Time Lady raised an eyebrow as she sipped at her glass of water. She swallowed before replying.

"I actually want to pay a visit to Cassandra." Aneres could have heard a pin drop as Rose and the Doctor stared at her with mouths hanging open. The Time Lady rolled her eyes at the two of them. "We did tell her we'd be checking in, why not go after we get some sleep?"

The Doctor cleared his throat and fidgeted in place. "Given… what happened to Rose last time," The blonde raised her eyebrows, "I'm not sure it's a good idea, Annie."

Aneres stared at her Tether silently for several moments, processing his reply and watching him squirm. Finally, she took another sip of water and spoke. "Then you don't have to come, just drop me off at the complex where Cassandra moved to with the new humans."

Rose's eyes widened in shock and she nearly dropped her glass at Aneres' words. She couldn't believe the Time Lady was serious, in her opinion there was no person worth traveling to without the Doctor. Especially not someone like Cassandra. Her reaction didn't hold a candle to the Doctor's though. He looked as if he'd been slapped as he stared at Aneres for a few seconds.

"Come again?" The Doctor eventually stammered out. Aneres looked over at him coolly.

"Just drop me off. You and Rose can go take an adventure together and just pick me up when you're done," She said, trying her best to ignore the hurt on her Tether's face and the delight on Rose's. The Doctor took a deep breath and set his utensils down.

"Are you sure? I could go with you and Rose could take a trip home," He offered, wincing when Rose let out a sound of annoyance. Aneres nodded.

"Yes, I'm sure. You've already made it clear how you feel about visiting her, and I'm sure Rose doesn't want to go home since she just got back," Aneres replied. The Doctor gaped at her like a fish, unable to formulate a response in that moment. Aneres rolled her eyes and stood up while clearing her plate and glass from the table.

"What-" She cut the Doctor off.

"I'm going to go get ready for bed, I want to be well rested for the trip," Aneres replied. She walked over to the sink and rinsed off her plate before putting the dishes into a drying rack. "Goodnight Doctor, Rose."

Then she was gone, and her Tether remained with his human companion.

TEotOS

The Doctor sighed as he set the last dish in the drying rack before leaving the kitchen, his mind torn and conflicted as he made his way over to Aneres' and his room. By the time he arrived, he had realized a few things.

Firstly, it made sense for Aneres to go visit Cassandra in light of all the frankly traumatic adventures they had gone on lately. The woman was his Tether's most trusted confidant aside from himself, and he knew that she was who Aneres would go to if she needed to talk about something and didn't feel up to doing so with him.

Secondly, Rose shouldn't have to take a trip home so soon after she had come back. It just wasn't fair to his companion, despite how the adventures seemed to be negatively affecting her already.

He looked up as he pushed the door to his bedroom open and couldn't hold back a smile at the sight within. Aneres was fast asleep, her ebony hair fanning out across the white pillows, her breathing soft and steady, and her soft skin delectably exposed by the rather skimpy nightgown she had donned.

The Doctor padded around the bed to stand next to her and slowly bent down to press a kiss to her forehead. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake from her slumber. He pulled away and walked back around to his side of the bed, stripping as he went before climbing under the pale blue duvet and curling up against his Tether. Before he knew it, he too had fallen asleep.

TEotOS

Aneres' eyes fluttered open a few hours later to the sight of artificial sunlight pouring through the windows of the bedroom. She slowly sat up and stretched, the straps of her nightgown falling from her shoulders to rest on her upper arms as she slid out of bed and padded over to the bathroom. The shower turned on as she entered, filling the room with heavy steam as Aneres disrobed and started brushing her teeth. She hummed softly as she did so, an Earth tune whose name she couldn't remember. Once her teeth were brushed she turned and stepped into the shower, delighting in the feeling of the warm water cascading across her skin.

As Aneres grabbed her body wash and started lathering up, she thought of what she might do with Cassandra that day. She hoped she would get to help take care of some of the new humans, but given the Doctor's unreliable piloting skills she might arrive in a time where Cassandra wouldn't need any assistance. Aneres shook her head and rinsed off her body before reaching out and grabbing a razor from one of the shelves as well as a bottle of shaving cream.

By the time she exited the shower and wrapped herself in a towel, the Doctor had woken up and was coming into the bathroom to get ready as well. Aneres looked over her shoulder and gave him a tight smile, which was met with a sigh.

"Annie," The Doctor watched as she turned fully to face him. "I thought about what you said last night, and I'm okay with dropping you off, I just want to know why you're upset."

Aneres took a deep breath and gripped the bathroom counter with one hand until her knuckles turned white. After a few seconds she managed to reply. "I'm upset because we said we were going to visit Cassandra, we made a point of it when we left New Earth, and now that I want to go you want to make concessions for Rose."

The Doctor frowned at her. "Well, yes. She's my companion and I'm not going to make her go see Cassandra if she doesn't want to."

"And I understand that," Aneres held up a hand as the Doctor opened his mouth to interject, "I just wish you had given Rose the option of doing something else right off the bat as opposed to telling me we shouldn't go at all because of her discomfort. She's your companion, not mine, and I am not as open to making amendments to my plans for her."

The Doctor listened carefully before replying. "Alright, I'll try to do that next time. For today, however, I'm going to take her on a trip while you're with Cassandra."

Aneres shrugged and opened a drawer to pull out her hairdryer. "Fine by me, just bring me back a souvenir," A smile was on her lips as she finished speaking.

The Doctor shook his head fondly. "I've given you so many souvenirs over the centuries," He commented.

"Yes, and I treasured all of them," She admitted, thinking back to her collection of knick knacks, art prints, jewelry, all of which had been lost with Gallifrey.

"Then I suppose we'd better get another collection going," The Doctor decided while leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek. Aneres blushed and tugged him back down to kiss his lips gently. After a few seconds she pulled away.

"You need to get ready mister," Aneres said, gently pushing him towards the shower. He rolled his eyes but did as she bid and clambered into the shower while his Tether started drying her hair.

TEotOS

Rose yawned as she made her way out of her bedroom and down the hallways of the Tardis, an all pink ensemble clothing her figure. She winced as she stumbled over a stray piece of grating just outside the console room and gaped at the sight within said room when she finally entered it.

Aneres was kneeling underneath the floor of the console room, hitting some part of the Tardis several times with what seemed to be a mallet. A few feet away, the Doctor was fiddling with several wires; some of which were draped around his shoulders and neck for convenience purposes. He looked up and grinned at her as a set of the wires sparked.

"Good morning Rose! Don't mind us, the Tardis was just a little banged up from falling to the Pit," He explained. Aneres nodded and quickly hit another part of the Tardis six successive times, earning a high pitched whine from the time machine.

"Sorry old-girl, these conduits just didn't want to stay secure and for some reason we can't screw them down like any of the other ones," She explained, wincing as the Tardis grumbled lowly. Aneres shrugged it off and took a closer look at the machinery, noting it seemed to finally be alright. She stood up and pulled herself back onto the grating, replacing the piece that covered the hole she had made in the process.

"Are you all good there Annie?" The Doctor asked, mostly focused on the wires but still wanting to check on her. She smiled fondly and nodded.

"Yes, now be careful. I don't want you to-" A large shower of sparks and a yelp from the Doctor leapt from his enclave. "Electrocute yourself," Aneres finished, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I'm fine!" He eventually shouted while disentangling himself from the wires. Aneres raised an eyebrow at him as he hoisted himself back out of his hole and replaced the grating. Upon closer inspection, his suit seemed to be vaguely smoking as he moved closer to her.

"You are ridiculous sometimes," Aneres commented before pressing a kiss to his cheek. She felt a thrill of delight course through her as Rose flinched at the sight, a thrill that only grew when the Tardis hummed approvingly in her mind. The Doctor smiled down at her and pressed his own kiss to her cheek, not noticing her little spike of emotions.

"Yes, but how bored would we be if I wasn't," He pointed out. Aneres opened her mouth but Rose beat her to the punch.

"A lot, but we'd also be a tiny bit safer," Rose joked, earning a fond eye-roll from the Doctor as he pulled away from Aneres to return to the console. "So, what are we doing today?"

"Well," Aneres interjected, "The Doctor is dropping me off at Cassandra's first and then you two are taking a trip."

Rose's eyes widened as she looked over at the Doctor, euphoria entering her system. "Where are we going then?"

The Doctor plugged in the coordinates to Cassandra's complex. "I'm not sure yet. Any suggestions?"

Rose shrugged. "Pilot's choice?"

The Doctor laughed, "Sounds good, Rose Tyler."

Aneres watched them silently before noticing something on her sweater. A frown appeared on her face at the sight of a hole in the fabric, several to be exact. She looked back up at the Doctor. "I need to get changed, I accidentally ripped this sweater. Don't worry about waiting, I shouldn't be more than a few minutes."

The Doctor nodded and set the Tardis in a flight pattern for New Earth, wincing as the normal turbulence rocked the ship back and forth for several seconds before mellowing out a bit. Rose moved to stand next to him at the console, her fingers drumming on the end of it lightly. Before she managed to speak, the Tardis landed with a loud thump. The sound was followed with the sound of someone pounding on the door about five seconds later. The Doctor frowned and walked over to the door, pulling it open to reveal Cassandra herself.

"Doctor!" She cheered with a grin, her blue eyes sparkling and her raven hair pulled into a high bun on the crown of her head. The Doctor's eyes widened at the sight of the normally dry and coy woman so cheery and excited.

"Hello, Cassandra," He replied slowly. Cassandra rolled her eyes, which were framed with thin rectangular glasses. She held up her hands and gripped his face before pressing kisses to each of his kisses.

"You could stand to be cheerier you know," She commented. "Now, where is my darling Aneres?" The Doctor watched as she pushed past him into the Tardis, looking around carefully. He looked up as a voice sounded from the galley.

"Do my eyes deceive me or is that Cassandra?" The human in question spun and beamed up at the galley where Aneres was smiling down at her fondly. "You look good!"

Cassandra blushed and fanned herself mockingly. "Me? My dear you are simply stunning! Traveling with this skinny one must be doing you a world of good," She complimented.

Aneres laughed and jumped over the railing to land in front of the human before pulling her into a tight hug. Cassandra immediately returned the embrace, burying her face in the slightly taller woman's neck. The Doctor smiled widely at the pure joy that riddled his Tether's face with each passing second. After a few moments they parted and began to take a closer look at each other.

"How has traveling been by the way? Have you gone anywhere terribly exciting?" Cassandra asked quickly.

"It's been amazing, we've been to Old Earth a lot. It just seems to keep getting in trouble," Aneres commented. "We also ended up in a parallel universe, I'll tell you more about that later, but let's talk about you! How's life here?"

Cassandra's expression turned to one of complete adoration. "Oh the darling things, they are learning so quickly. It's quite wonderful, we have a whole community set up around the initial complex now."

Aneres' eyes widened in shock. "So quickly? How long has it been?"

"A little under three years," Aneres sighed in relief, "But we've been making really staggering progress. The Senate of New New York made several laws and provisions for the new humans' welfare including a government funding program for them."

"That's amazing!" Aneres cheered. "Doctor, isn't that just great?"

But the Doctor's eyes were not on Aneres and Cassandra any longer. They had landed on Rose, who had gone white as a sheet as soon as Cassandra had barged into the Tardis in search of the Time Lady, and were filled with concern for his companion. He quickly made his way over, ignoring his Tether's repeated calls of his title, and started whispering to her softly in an attempt to comfort her.

Aneres frowned as the Doctor became preoccupied with his companion, and shook her head before turning back to Cassandra. "Sorry about him, Rose wasn't terribly happy to know that I was going to visit you."

"Just you?" Cassandra returned her frown as she nodded. "What are they going to do then?"

"They're going on their own adventure while I stay with you for a bit," Aneres explained. Cassandra's frowned morphed back into a smile.

"Well I can tell you right of the bat that I have plenty for us to do," Cassandra pulled out a notebook from the back pocket of her pants, which looked remarkably like scrubs upon closer inspection. "I have five births today, several physical exams for infants, and we're moving a few families out of the main complex into separate homes."

Aneres was practically bouncing with excitement as Cassandra listed their tasks. "Then we'd best head out and get started. Am I dressed alright?"

Cassandra took a look at the Time Lady's outfit, which consisted of black leggings and a white t-shirt with red polka-dots. "Yes, that's perfect. Now, let's go!"

Aneres beamed at Cassandra before turning back to the Doctor and Rose, the latter of which seemed to be slightly calmer. She leapt across the space between her and the duo to pepper the Doctor's face with several kisses. "You'll come back in twenty-four hours?"

"Yep," The Doctor replied, winding his arms around her waist to hold her close. "Have fun alright?"

"I will," Aneres whispered before kissing him once again. The Doctor grinned into the kiss, but was unable to deepen it as Aneres pulled away a few seconds later and moved to stand with Cassandra. She patted her pockets, making sure she didn't have anything she wouldn't need, and when she decided she was ready she looped her arm through Cassandra's.

"Thank you for bringing her, Doctor!" Cassandra called out as she steered Aneres out of the Tardis, laughing as the Doctor waved goodbye before shutting the doors behind them.

Aneres gasped as they walked out into the open air, the entire community Cassandra had mentioned sprawling out in front of them beautifully. The main complex that had been the foundation for this entire cause was a twenty-story building, and was surrounded by at least a hundred buildings of various purposes. Cassandra grinned at her reaction and dragged her down the road towards the small town, pointing out homes, stores, schools and the occasional park as they walked toward the main building.

"We use the main complex as a hospital and office space primarily, as well as a habitation unit for the humans that are having a hard time adjusting or need to be observed at most hours of the day," Cassandra explained. Aneres nodded in understanding, but froze at the sight of a very familiar man standing further down the road. Her eyes widened as she dropped Cassandra's hand and sprinted over.

"Chip!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, a wide smile spreading her lips. Chip looked up and gasped before running over to meet her in the middle, his arms winding around her and he spun her around in circles.

"Oh I've missed you Miss Aneres," He said as he slowed his spinning and set her down in front of him. Aneres grinned at him.

"I've missed you too my friend. How have you been doing with all of this?" She asked gently as Cassandra approached.

"Miss Cassandra was very kind and allowed me to undergo several surgeries to make my body last longer, so I have been thriving here at her side with the new humans," Chip answered, smiling adoringly at Cassandra. Aneres sighed in relief.

"I'm so glad, Chip. Now, what are you doing today?" She asked.

"Ah, I am assisting the schools in constructing more classrooms," Chip explained while gesturing to a nearby building that had an unfinished extension on its left side. Aneres nodded, but before she could ask more Cassandra interrupted them.

"Unfortunately we do need to get to the main building, our first birth is starting in thirty minutes and we need to get ready," She said. Aneres' eyes widened in shock but nodded in agreement.

"Then we'd best get going." And with that, Chip was left to his duties while the two ebony-haired women sprinted down the road as fast as they could.

TEotOS

Aneres followed Cassandra as they made their way up to the delivery wing where several nurses were standing beside doors. She watched as Cassandra leapt into her element, ordering the nurses into different rooms based on how soon the women in them would be giving birth and grabbing a set of gloves and gowns for herself and Aneres. Within less than a minute, Aneres was standing next to Cassandra in front of a human woman who was, in no uncertain terms, terrified.

"Alright Elwyn," Cassandra soothed gently, a sweet smile on her face. "These people are going to help you with your baby, okay? It might hurt, but we will be here the whole time to help you through it."

Elwyn nodded, her face losing some its terror as she began to speak in fairly competent English. "Who is your friend?"

Cassandra smiled at Aneres, "This is Aneres, she helped me move you from the hospital to this place a year ago."

Elwyn's eyes filled with tears as she beckoned Aneres closer. "You saved me and my family?"

Aneres nodded and smiled down at her sweetly. "I sure did. My husband helped as well, but he couldn't come with me today."

"My husband is not here either. He is helping at the store," Elwyn replied, her face slightly sad. Aneres took one of her hands in both of hers gently.

"That's why we're here. So, how about we get started and bring your baby out into the world?" Aneres suggested. Elwyn took a deep breath and nodded, her hand tightening around Aneres' as she turned her attention to the nurses. They explained the process to her one more time, only stopping when Elwyn let out a shriek of pain as her contractions flared with stronger pain.

"We can't give her an epidural," Cassandra explained as Elwyn was moved into stirrups, "Their biology doesn't interact well with it, but it seems that their bodies don't register pain until it reaches a certain level. Thankfully, they tend to give birth incredibly quickly so it's not a terribly long stretch of pain."

Aneres nodded and winced as Elwyn's grip tightened on her hand, her screams rising in pitch as her labor quickly escalated. Nurses were crying out orders to push, lights were being moved around, Elwyn's body trembled.

"I can't," A pained sob ripped past Elwyn's lips as another contraction rolled through her body, "I can't do any more."

Aneres softly shushed her, pushing back strands of Elwyn's brown hair as her grey eyes squeezed shut. "You can, Elwyn. I've been through exactly what you're going through, four times in fact, and I can tell you it is worth it. It is so worth it and your body is made to do this, so don't doubt yourself. Push, Elwyn!"

Cassandra moved away from them to check on Elwyn's vital monitor, recording the numbers for one of the nurses as they all moved to help with the birth. She watched carefully as Elwyn pushed once again, a euphoric grin coming to her face when a nurse claimed the baby was crowning. Aneres grinned along with Elwyn, her free arm coming around to wrap around the human's shoulders.

"You are so close Elwyn," One of the other nurses cheered.

"I need another push from you honey, come on," A nurse ordered. Elwyn nodded and clenched her abdomen with a scream as the nurse counted down from ten. Once it was over, Elwyn sagged into Aneres with tears streaming down her face. The Time Lady rocked her slightly and whispered words of encouragement until Elwyn needed to push again, and the countdown repeated.

"Miss Cassandra," The entire room looked over to the door where another nurse was white as a sheet. "We need some assistance in Delivery Room Three, the mother is incredibly distressed and won't let anyone near her."

Cassandra cursed under her breath before looking over at Aneres. "Can you help here until I can come back?"

Aneres laughed and nodded. "This isn't my first rodeo, go do your job Cassandra."

Cassandra blew a grateful kiss at the Time Lady before bolting from the room while the nurses turned back to Elwyn's delivery. Screams resumed, Aneres was fairly sure she had a broken finger, but it was all worth it when a shrill cry cut through the air that did not belong to Elwyn.

"It's a boy!" The head nurse cheered joyfully. Elwyn sighed in relief and sagged back into Aneres' form as her baby was taken to a nearby table for a vital check and clean up.

"You did so well dear," Aneres crooned as she held the new mother carefully. Elwyn smiled up at her, more than glad the process was finally over. Her attention was soon diverted by a small bundle being placed on her chest. She gasped and ripped her hand from Aneres' to carefully hold the tiny baby in place, her fingers giving him gentle, soothing touches.

"He's beautiful," Elwyn whispered, staring down at him in complete adoration. Aneres stared down at the delicate creature with a similar adoration, but another emotion lay beneath it. She shook her head quickly, claiming it was a shiver, before cooing over the baby until Cassandra returned to bring her to another expectant mother.

TEotOS

That night, Aneres ended up in Cassandra's personal apartment on the couch for a movie night with her and Chip. The two women had delivered the remaining babies that were scheduled to arrive, as well as another one that was a week early but no less healthy or beautiful. By the time they had come out to help the three families move out of the apartment complex and into their own homes, Chip had already done so because the crew at the school needed to take a break from the light of this, the three of them were able to retire earlier than planned after the physicals on some older infants.

"God, this was such a good day," Aneres admitted while accepting a glass of wine. Cassandra grinned at her as she sat down beside her with her own glass on the long couch.

"I bet it's been a while since you've done stuff like that," Cassandra pointed out. Aneres nodded and took a sip of her wine.

"All my time since I left has been spent on traveling, not birthing babies or helping to organize a community," Aneres explained. Cassandra waggled her eyebrows at the Time Lady.

"That being said, you sure you won't be having one of your own in the future?" Aneres choked on her wine, coughing loudly at Cassandra's suggestion. Chip leaned over worriedly and smacked her back until her breathing calmed.

"I can't say I haven't thought about it," Aneres eventually confessed after several moments. "But I don't know how we would make it work-"

"With Rose there?" Cassandra guessed. Aneres nodded and took a gulp of her wine. "Well, you know I don't have much of a positive opinion of the girl, but I still can't say you should go ahead and do it anyways. I can tell it wouldn't be a good environment for a baby if she was there."

Aneres quickly swallowed another sip of wine. "Exactly. I also have absolutely no clue if the Doctor is at all ready to have more kids."

Cassandra froze. "More?" She remembered what Aneres had said to encourage Elwyn during her delivery. "You already had kids."

"Four to be exact, and countless more grandchildren as well as great-grandchildren," Aneres admitted. Cassandra gaped at her.

"You're old!" She exclaimed, earning a snort from Aneres.

"Yes, I'm about 900 years old Cassandra," She replied. "I've been around the block of motherhood a few times."

"What happened to them?" Cassandra asked slowly. Aneres' smile dropped to a very sal semblance of one.

"They died, which is why I don't know if the Doctor would be ready," She elaborated. Cassandra nodded slowly, wracked with guilt for even bringing it up.

"Well," Chip piped up, "How about we watch an Old Earth classic?" He asked, holding up a sort of computer chip labelled "Grease". Aneres' eyes widened in delight while Cassandra shrieked gleefully.

"Yes, yes Chip!" They cheered, grinning as Chip inserted the chip and the movie began to play. For the rest of the night, all that could be heard in the apartment was laughter, gossip and poor renditions of the soundtrack from the three of them until they passed out in various places in the living room.

TEotOS

When morning dawned, the Doctor saved them some time by forcing the Tardis to materialize inside Cassandra's apartment. Unfortunately, in doing so he accidentally crushed one of Cassandra's potted plants due to a lack of knowledge about her apartment. The sound of the ceramic container shattering only served to help waken Aneres and Cassandra, though, and when the Doctor stepped out he was pleased to see Aneres was happy to see him.

"Hello, love," He whispered as she jumped into his arms and peppered his face with kisses. "Did you have a good time?"

"It was utterly delightful and I will tell you all about it as soon as I've eaten some breakfast," Aneres replied with a sweet smile. The Doctor laughed and set her down on the floor so she could rouse Chip and say goodbye to him as well as Cassandra.

"You need to come visit more," Cassandra whined. "No more breaks longer than a year, promise me."

Aneres laughed and hugged her tightly. "I'll do my best. Stay safe, alright?"

Chip and Cassandra nodded as she pulled away. "We promise. Have a good trip!"

"Thank you!" She replied as she walked back into the Tardis, the Doctor following moments later while waving goodbye to the two of them.

"So, what do you want for breakfast?" He asked. Aneres shrugged and dragged him down to the kitchen, questioning him all about his adventure with Rose. Apparently it too had been rather exciting, and had involved an encounter with a sort of fanclub known as L.I.N.D.A and another slapping incident with Jackie.

**Hellooooo! So, I know I completely skipped Love and Monsters with this chapter and I'm sorry if that's a favorite episode of yours. I just knew I wouldn't be able to write the episode because I just don't enjoy it and I would have ended up endlessly annoyed at my writing if I had tried. Thank you for understanding and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review with any questions, comments or concerns and I hope to return soon with the first half of Fear Her! Have an awesome rest of your week!**

**-Angel**


	29. Fear Her: Abnormal Events

The Doctor smiled as Aneres sipped at her coffee while he told her all about L.I.N.D.A, and more specifically Elton and Ursula's eventual budding romance. Aneres found them to be utterly adorable, and hoped she would meet them at some point. She did feel bad for Jackie upon further elaboration on how she had gotten upset enough to slap Elton and eventually the Doctor himself. Her favorite part of the story, however, was the small box the Doctor held up at the end of his tale.

"You remembered," Aneres whispered, setting her coffee cup down on the console. The Doctor smiled and pressed a kiss to the side of her head as he handed it over.

"Of course I did, love," He murmured. Aneres smiled and pulled off the lid to the box to reveal two figurines carved from wood and painted to look like the Doctor's last and current regenerations. Her eyes widened as she carefully traced the features of his Ninth self, smiling at the blue eyes and leather jacket he had possessed.

"I've never seen your Ninth self," She mused while slowly lifting the figurines from the box to inspect them closely. "He was a rather handsome bloke."

The Doctor blushed at her words before coughing several times. "Mr. Skinner, one of the late members of L.I.N.D.A, carved these after seeing several photos of myself throughout history. I thought you might enjoy them, and Elton and Ursula didn't mind me taking them."

"I love them," Aneres replied, her eyes filled with delight as she continued to hold the tiny carvings delicately. "I'll need a display cabinet to keep them in. Granted, they won't take up a lot of space, but we'll be able to add to them."

The Doctor grinned and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "I'm sure the Tardis will come up with something to put them in. Until then, however," He carefully took the figurines and set them back in the box, "You need to tell me about your time with Cassandra, and I need to find us a place to travel to."

Aneres took another sip of her coffee before beginning her own tale. "Well, almost as soon as we arrived, I ran into Chip while Cassandra gave me a quick tour of the town they've constructed. He's been helping to direct all the new construction projects you see."

"Really?" The Doctor's eyes were wide, "How big is the entire operation now?"

"They had several schools built which teach the new humans as far as university level material if the humans are interested, I also saw at least a hundred homes that the humans can move into after they've adjusted to life outside the hospital," Aneres' hands were flailing as her voice grew in passion and volume, "And the main complex? My God it was amazing!"

The Doctor smiled at her fondly as she spoke, seeming to fall in love with her all over again as each word and gesture spoke uniquely to her amazing manner and beauty. He could watch her speak for days on end about any topic, even the ones that bored him most in school, and all he would see would be the curve of her smile, the brightness of her eyes, the silk-like curls of her hair, every inch of the woman he was destined for since birth. However, he knew she would get rather irritated if all he did was look instead of listen and so he tuned back in.

"And their biology is fascinating! We couldn't give Elwyn an epidural because her body is programmed to deal with pain up until a very very high threshold, so any painkillers would actually make her in danger of losing that ability to feel pain at all," Aneres' rambling continued, "And when she had her baby, oh he was just so sweet and adorable…"

Her words faded out as the Doctor was launched into a variety of thoughts and emotions. It seemed with each passing day his thoughts turned back to his children more than they had in the last century, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that. On the one hand, he had loved his children more than life itself when they were alive, as well as their own children and their children's children and would give anything to have them back. However, there was a part of him that wanted to have a fresh start. To put their memories to rest and perhaps make new ones.

He mentally slapped himself. The Doctor had no clue if Aneres even wanted to have children again, let alone in the near future, and he was not about to bring it up first. However gutted he had felt upon their passing, he knew Aneres had felt it with far more intensity he could ever muster and that when each of their descendants died in the war it had been crippling for her. So much so it almost took her life in battle in fact.

And so he would not broach the subject. Instead he would support her and enjoy their life together as it was in that moment, a life riddled with adventure and delight. It was at that moment, a destination occurred to him. His fingers leapt to action, plugging in coordinates and steering the Tardis through the Time Vortex.

"Darling," Aneres called out, her hand resting on his shoulder. "Find someplace you wanted to go?" She asked teasingly. He blushed a dark red when he realized he had missed everything she'd said.

"Maybe," He drew out the word as he flicked another lever. Aneres smiled fondly and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"I love you to pieces," She whispered as she broke away from the kiss, her face still barely an inch from his as she spoke. The Doctor beamed and gave her another quick peck before the Tardis jolted roughly. In the distance they heard Rose yelp followed by a loud crash. Aneres winced.

"D'you think I should check on her?" The Doctor asked slowly. Aneres laughed and nodded.

"She's your companion, not mine. Come on, the Tardis is self piloting now so you'll be fine," She replied. The Doctor rolled his eyes good naturedly before walking out of the console room to hunt down Rose.

TEotOS

The Doctor grinned as the Tardis landed and immediately went to throw the doors open, only to come face to face with the side of a shipping container less than a foot away from the Tardis doors. "Ah."

Aneres snickered and watched him edit the coordinates to turn the Tardis ninety-degrees. This time, she followed him out to the Tardis doors which swung open with ease and allowed them to step outside. The Doctor cheered as he exited, "Ah!"

Rose was the last to exit, and was immediately drawn to a nearby container displaying a "Shane Ward's Greatest Hits" poster on its side. "So, near future, yeah?"

The Doctor nodded. "I had a passing fancy. Only it didn't pass, it stopped."

Aneres raised an eyebrow and wove her arm through his while he led them from the shipping yard and out to a residential area known as Dame Kelly Holmes Close, which was decorated with a large banner displaying an announcement for-

"The Thirtieth Olympiad!" Aneres cheered with a grin. The Doctor nodded and bounced slightly with her, enjoying the way her curls danced with the motion.

"No way! Why didn't I think of this? That's great," Rose said with her own smile, trying to ignore how affectionate Aneres and the Doctor were acting. Said Time Lord beamed at the both of their reactions.

"Only seems like yesterday a few naked Greek blokes were tossing a discus about, wrestling each other in the sand with crowds stood around baying. No, wait a minute, that was Club Med," He looked over as Aneres snorted in response to his joke. "Just in time for the opening doo dah, ceremony, tonight, I thought you'd like that. Last one they had in London was dynamite."

"That was Wembley!" Aneres piped up, remembering that particular trip. "Nineteen forty-eight I believe. You absolutely adored that one man, oh what was his name?"

"Mark? John? Mark? Legs like pipe cleaners, but strong as a whippet," The Doctor rambled as he tried to remember. Aneres frowned and drummed her fingers on her leg as she too struggled to recall his name. Rose, however, was distracted once again by a more grisly sort of poster, one of a child and contact info for their parents.

"Doctor," She murmured. Aneres and the Doctor ignored her, continuing to mull over the obscure details of the forties and fifties.

"And in those days, everybody had a tea party to go to," The Doctor mumbled. Rose rolled her eyes and shouted.

"Doctor!"

"Did you ever have one of those little cakes with the crunchy ball bearings on top?" Aneres shook her head at his words.

"No, I was never a huge sprinkles fan," She reminded him. The Doctor nodded absentmindedly.

"You should really look at this," Rose called out again. The Doctor turned and smiled at his companion as he continued speaking.

"Do you know those things? Nobody else in this entire galaxy's ever even bothered to make edible ball bearings. Genius," He trailed off as he approached the poster Rose was talking about, his good mood fading at the sight of a missing child's face stamped on the paper. Aneres' lips parted in shock.

"How horrible," She eventually whispered with a shiver.

"What's taking them, do you think?" The Doctor asked, earning a shrug from Aneres, "Snatching children from a thoroughly ordinary street like this," He shivered, "Why's it so cold? Is someone reducing the temperature?"

"It says they all went missing this week. Why would a person do something like this?" Rose demanded, a pang of sadness hitting her as she remembered Jackie's reaction to her being missing for a year on accident.

The Doctor sighed and looked down the street before commenting, "What makes you think it's a person?"

Aneres turned to follow his gaze, noticing as anyone who exited their house to do something like take care of their garbage or fetch the post went back inside as quickly as possible. Her eyes narrowed as the street maintained a mostly empty state aside from the various road workers patching up the actual street.

"Whatever it is, it's got the whole street scared to death. Doctor, what-" Rose stopped speaking as the Doctor sprinted down the street with Aneres close behind. She shook her head and started to follow him, but soon found herself distracted by a man's car giving out. With a sigh she went over and started helping the man and a road worker named Kel try to push it down the road.

Meanwhile, the Doctor was having a fun time hovering his hand above the grass in front of a football net. The longer he held it there, the more a sort of tingling sensation drifted across his hand. He quickly grabbed Aneres' hand and pulled it down next to his. Immediately she shivered and yanked it away.

"Nope, those were some creepy crawlies," Aneres spat with a shudder. The Doctor rolled his eyes and grinned as the sensation continued over his hand. He stopped as he noticed another shadow and looked up to see a rather tall man, presumably the owner of the house, standing behind him.

"What's your game?" He demanded with a snarl. The Doctor winced while Aneres moved to stand slightly in front of him.

"My er," He trailed off uncertainly, "Snakes and Ladders? Quite good at squash. Reasonable," He looked up at Aneres as she shot him a harsh glare, "I'm being facetious, aren't I. There's no call for it."

Aneres rolled her eyes and quickly smacked the Doctor upside the head. She then turned back to the other man with a sweet smile. "Please, forgive my husband. He can be rather rambunctious, and clearly forgot about personal boundaries for a moment."

The Doctor scoffed. "I did not! I was investigating!"

Aneres winced as the other man glared at the Doctor once again. "Yeah? And what were you investigating exactly?" He demanded.

The Doctor stammered, realizing he had made a rather egregious error but also not about to back down. "The missing kids! I'm investigating the missing kids!"

That had been the exact wrong thing to say, apparently, as the man let out a low growl before lunging at the Doctor. Aneres watched as he yelped and rolled out of the way before standing and patting his pockets frantically.

"What are you?" The man demanded. "Who are you?!"

The Doctor cringed and stumbled backwards into the road, still patting his pockets quickly. "I'm, I'm a police officer! That's what I am. I've got a badge and a police car. You don't have to get, I can, I can prove it. Just hold on."

Aneres watched him stammer and shook her head while pinching the bridge of her nose. This was not going the way they wanted it to, and clearly the man in front of the Doctor was not having any of it.

"We've had plenty of coppers poking around here, and you don't look or sound like any of them," He shouted. The Doctor turned and grinned when he caught sight of Rose before pointing at her.

"See, look. I've got a colleague. Lewis!" The Doctor claimed. Aneres wanted to slam her head against a brick wall as she watched Rose run over, an overly cheerful smile coating her face. The other man wasn't having any of it though.

"Well, she looks less like a copper than you do!" He cried out. "At least your wife tried to show some respect!"

Aneres snickered as the Doctor floundered to respond before eventually coming up with, "Training. New recruit. It was either that or hairdressing, so, voila!"

The Doctor brandished the psychic paper in front of the man, beaming when the illusion of a badge forced him to back off from his enraged charging. More parents had exited to watch the confrontation at that point, one of them being a very beautiful black woman who looked scared out of her mind.

"What are you going to do?" She asked with a shaking voice. An elderly woman using a walker moved to stand next to her.

"The police have knocked on every door. No clues, no leads, nothing," She piped up, earning nods of agreement from the black woman. The man from before rolled his eyes.

"Look, kids run off sometimes, all right? That's what they do," He pointed out. Aneres bit back a growl, more than a bit irritated by that stunningly ignorant viewpoint. Children were not supposed to be able to just run off, nor kidnapped, but this man seemed to be content with using the former as an excuse. The elderly woman spoke up again.

"Saw it with me own eyes. Dale Hicks in your garden, playing with your Tommy, and then pfft! Right in front of me, like he was never there," Aneres' and the Doctor's eyes widened, "There's no need to look any further than this street. It's right here amongst us."

"Why don't we-" The Doctor found himself being cut off by another angry woman.

"Why don't we start with him?" She jabbed a finger at Kel, the workman who had been patching up potholes, "There's been all sorts like him in this street, day and night."

"Fixing things up for the Olympics!" Kel shouted back. The man from earlier crossed his arms and fixed Kel with a pointed glare.

"Yeah, and taking an awful long time about it," He pointed out. Kel bristled with outrage while frustration built up in the Time Lords and Rose.

"I'm of the opinion that all we've got to do is just-" The Doctor was cut off again, this time by Kel.

"You don't. What you just said, that's slander!" He stammered out, fury brimming in his eyes.

"I don't care what it is!" The other angry woman shouted back.

"I think we need to just-" The Doctor tried.

"I want an apology off her!" Kel cried out.

"Stop picking on him," The elderly woman scolded.

"Yeah, stop picking on me." Kel repeated.

"And stop pretending to be blind. It's evil!" The elderly woman continued with a disapproving glare towards the younger one that had been screaming at Kel.

"I don't believe in evil," She bit back. Kel rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air.

"Oh no, you just believe in tarmackers with sack loads of kidnapped kiddies in their van." The man from earlier barged in at that moment.

"Here, here, here, that's not what she's saying," He tried to claim. The Doctor rolled his eyes and looked over at his wife for help, but she was preoccupied with thoughts of smacking every single one of them for being so idiotic.

"Would you stop ganging up on me?!" Kel demanded. The woman who had been accusing him grinned evilly.

"Feeling guilty, are we?" She demanded. Finally, the Doctor had enough. He moved to stand between all of them and cried out,

"Fingers on lips!" Aneres held back a giggle as he made the "Shush" gesture at the angry and paranoid humans standing around them. Rose mimicked him immediately, followed by the rest of the humans.

"In the last six days, three of your children have been stolen. Snatched out of thin air, right?" He asked gently, earning nods from the humans. Finally, the elderly woman held up her hand as if she were a primary student trying to ask a question in class.

"Er, can I?" The Doctor nodded and allowed her to stop shushing herself, "Look around you. This was a safe street till it came. It's not a person. I'll say it if no one else will. Maybe you're coppers, maybe you're not. I don't care who you are. Can you please help us?"

At that moment, Aneres decided to speak up. "We're going to do our best, but we can't do that until you all agree to trust us," She sent a pointed glare at the recently screaming woman and the man from earlier. They winced but looked away and nodded in agreement.

The elderly woman smiled at her. "Thank you dear. Now, we'll just leave you to it." At her words, the group all dispersed but not without keeping a wary eye on Rose and the Doctor.

Once they were mostly alone, Rose took the moment to look around and frowned at the shadow of a young girl in one of the home's windows. The black woman who had been part of the crowd of concerned parents followed her gaze and tensed before running into the home of the shadow. Rose's frown deepened, but she was distracted by the Doctor and Aneres going back to the yard where they had felt the tingles. She walked over just as the Doctor started sniffling like crazy.

"Want a hanky?" Rose asked jokingly. The Doctor didn't respond, instead turning to Aneres.

"Can you smell it? What does it remind you of?" He asked slowly. Aneres took a deep inhale through her nose and coughed in disgust.

"Burnt metal, like if you shorted a circuit," She replied after her coughing subsided. The Doctor nodded and turned back to Rose.

"How about you? Whatcha smelling?" He wondered. Rose took her own sniff of the air and wrinkled her nose.

"Definitely some sort of metal," She affirmed. The Doctor tapped his chin in thought before turning on his heel and walking down to the end of the street where a back alley lay between two back gardens.

"Danny Edwards cycled in one end but never came out the other," The Doctor explained as they walked in. Aneres frowned and sniffed cautiously, coughing again as they hit a part of the alley reeking with the smell from the garden.

"Dear God that's awful!" She spat out. The Doctor nodded in agreement, shivering as goosebumps erupted on his hands and arms.

"Look at the hairs on the back of my manly hairy hand," He commented, holding it out to the two women. Aneres shook her head fondly but didn't comment as she fanned the scent away from her nose with her hands. Rose, however, was continuing to sniff the air with interest.

"And there's that smell. It's like a er, a burnt fuse plug or something," She commented.

"There's a residual energy in the spots where the kids vanished. Whatever it was, it used an awful lot of power to do this," The Doctor decided. Aneres nodded and took another cautious sniff.

"The worst part is this smell belongs to various energy sources," She admitted. The Doctor nodded while Rose listened. "We need to know what did it if we're going to pinpoint it."

With that, the trio made their way back onto the main street and took a cursory glance across the house. They were only interrupted when Rose let out an excited squeal and dashed over to a large ginger cat that was piddling around in one of the yards. Aneres rolled her eyes and stayed with the Doctor, walking just behind Rose.

"Aren't you a beautiful boy?" She cooed. The Doctor preened slightly and turned his attention to her.

"Thanks! I'm experimenting with back combing," He frowned as Aneres pointed to the cat Rose was speaking to, "Oh."

"I used to have one like you," She continued cooing, only stopping when she noted the look of distaste on the Doctor's face, "What?"

"No, I'm not really a cat person. Once you and your wife have been threatened by one in a nun's wimple, it kind of takes the joy out of it," He replied. Rose rolled her eyes and turned back to the cat, only to see it had walked away to a nearby cardboard box.

"Best not follow it Rose," Aneres commented. "It could be diseased."

Rose bit back an annoyed groan as she went after it. "Come here, puss. What do you want to go in there for?"

Aneres frowned as she heard a very distant meow resound from the box. Rose picked it up and gasped when she saw nothing but cardboard and smelled nothing but burnt metal. She turned back to the two Time Lords.

"Doctor! Phew," Rose gagged as she got a good whiff of the box. The Doctor and Aneres ran over to smell it, the both of them following suit with their own gags.

"Ion residue," Aneres eventually managed to get out. The Doctor nodded.

"That takes some doing. Just to snatch a living organism out of space-time. This baby is just like, I'm having some of that," He made an exaggerated grabbing motion, "I'm impressed."

"So the cat's been transported?" Rose questioned. The Doctor nodded.

"It can harness huge reserves of ionic power. We need to find the source of that power. Find the source and you will find whatever has taken to stealing children and fluffy animals," He ordered Rose while handing the box to Aneres, "Try and analyze this in the Tardis, it might have a specific signal in the energy."

Aneres nodded and ran off to the Tardis with the box in hand, leaving the Doctor and Rose to work on finding a source on their own.

TEotOS

The Doctor and Rose burst into the Tardis not five minutes later, with a small sort of mesh-looking ball in the Doctor's hand. Aneres looked up from the box and pulled out a second scanner for the small ball.

"Any luck with the box?" The Doctor asked as he placed the ball under the light of the scanner. Aneres shook her head.

"I got a list of nearly a thousand different species with the ability to harvest ionic energy to this level, which isn't entirely helpful in this case," Aneres explained. The Doctor sighed and shrugged.

"Ah well, we'll figure it out," Aneres smiled at his words and started to reply but was cut off by the beeping of the scanner. The Doctor turned his attention back to the scanner. "Oh, hi ho, here we go. Let's have a look," He gaped at it, "Get out of here."

"What's it say?" Rose asked. The Doctor didn't respond, instead pulling out a pencil from a nearby pocket on the console. He flipped it so the eraser was pointing toward the mesh-like ball before rubbing it against it, gaping as part of the ball disappeared.

"It is. It's graphite. Basically the same material as an HB pencil," He whispered in shock. Rose made a sort of affronted noise at the description.

"I was attacked by a pencil scribble?" She asked. The Doctor nodded while Aneres held back a snicker.

"Scribble creature, brought into being with ionic energy. Whatever we're dealing with, it can create things as well as take them," Aeres frowned and input that characteristic as a filter in the list of species that could take things with ionic energy. "But why make a scribble creature?"

Aneres scowled at the monitor as the list shortened from a thousand to just under four hundred, still too long to try and use to find what they were looking for. Rose mirrored her frown as she thought it over.

"Maybe it was a mistake," She paused, feeling the Doctor and Aneres' eyes on her, "I mean, you scribble over something when you want to get rid of it, like a, like a drawing. Like a, a child's drawing," Aneres' eyes widened.

"Doctor, are you sure this creature is in the street?" She demanded. The Doctor nodded slowly.

"Probably," He replied. Rose snapped her fingers loudly as she reached the same conclusion as Aneres did.

"The girl!" They shouted in unison. Aneres rolled her eyes while Rose shot her a glare, none too thrilled that Aneres had arrived at the same conclusion. The Doctor grinned and snapped his fingers as well.

"Of course!" He paused and frowned, not quite following. "What girl?"

"The girl in the house across from the one Dale Hicks disappeared from," Aneres explained. "Her mum, or at least I think that woman was her mum, looked terrified once I noticed her lurking in the window."

Rose nodded. "Something about her gave me the creeps."

"Are you deducting?" The Doctor asked, looking between the two women. Aneres grinned and batter lashes at him, leaning in until their noses almost brushed.

"Indeed we are. How are our deductions shaping up?" She asked sweetly.

"Very nicely. So nicely I believe we'll have to follow it up," The Doctor decided before straightening and grabbing her hand in his. He grinned at Rose and Aneres as they dashed from the Tardis back to the street.

TEotOS

They paused when they arrived at the house in question, taking a moment to catch their breath and make sure they looked somewhat put together. Once they felt comfortable, the Doctor rang the doorbell. He frowned when no omne responded, and bent slightly to shake the letterbox several times. A few seconds passed before the door opened to reveal the mother of the girl in question. The Doctor grinned at her.

"Hello. I'm the Doctor, this is my wife Aneres and this is Rose," He gestured to each of the women as he spoke, "Can we see your daughter?"

The woman's eyes hardened as she stared at them. Her fingers turned white as she gripped the doors. "No, you can't."

The Doctor shrugged. "Okay. Bye." He could feel the mother watching him turn and leave with his Tether and companion. The three of them took a few steps before she spoke up.

"Why? Why do you want to see Chloe?" The Doctor turned back to face her, but it was Aneres who responded.

"Well we saw her watching us earlier and thought maybe she could give us a hand. She seems very smart and observant," Aneres complimented with a sweet smile in the mother's direction. "But, if you don't think it's a good idea then we'll be on our way."

"Sorry to bother you," Rose chimed. The Doctor nodded.

"Yeah, sorry. We'll let you get on with things. On your own. Bye again," The three of them turned to walk another couple steps.

"Wait! Can you help her?" The mother demanded, hope starting to bubble in her chest. Aneres and the Doctor smiled at her as they turned to face her.

"Yes, we can," The Doctor replied. The mother looked down the street before ushering them into the house. Her living room was incredibly tidy, the only sound within coming from the TV as it broadcasted the journey of the Olympic torch bearer. Aneres watched as she led them into the room and gestured for them to make themselves at home.

"My name's Trish by the way," The mother commented. Aneres nodded in reply.

"It's lovely to meet you, Trish. Can you tell us a little about Chloe, please?" She requested. Trish took a deep breath.

"She stays in her room most of the time. I try talking to her, but it's like trying to speak to a brick wall. She gives me nothing, just asks to be left alone," She whispered. Rose frowned.

"What about Chloe's dad?" Trish winced at Rose's question.

"Chloe's dad died a year ago." A spike of pity lanced through the trio at her loss.

"I'm sorry," Rose whispered. Aneres frowned as Trish's face hardened.

"You wouldn't be if you'd known him," She snapped. Aneres' pity for her grew, having seen many a Time Lady in Trish's position. The Doctor, however, was looking deeper than Trish's words about her husband.

"Well, let's go and say hi!" He chirped, taking one step towards the stairs leading to the second level. Trish flinched and paled.

"I should check on her first. She might be asleep," Trish stammered. The Doctor frowned.

"Why are you afraid of her, Trish?" He asked gently. Trish avoided their gaze for several seconds, unshed tears glistening in her eyes. Finally, she took a deep breath and looked back up.

"I want you to know before you see her that she's really a great kid," She said, desperation clear in her voice.

"I'm sure she is," The Doctor agreed. Aneres nodded, unable to stop her mind drifting to her own children.

"She's never been in trouble at school. You should see her report from last year. A's and B's," Trish continued, a tentative amount of pride buildin within her. Rose looked over at the stairs and back at Trish.

"Can I use your loo?" She asked. Trish nodded and gestured towards the stairs. Rose nodded and left the room while Trish continued telling the Time Lords about Chloe.

"She's in the choir. She's singing in an old folks home. Any mum would be proud. You know I want you to know these things before you see her, Doctor, Aneres, because right now, she's not herself," She explained. Aneres walked over and set a hand on Trish's shoulder.

"All children are different and are going to have their moments where their mums feel completely lost," She murmured gently. "There's nothing wrong with her and nothing wrong with you. Something's just changed and we're going to help you two figure it out."

The Doctor beamed with pride as Trish seemed to visibly lose a massive weight from her shoulders at Aneres' words. However, the three of them were distracted by the sound of the fridge opening and closing. They slowly followed Trish into the kicthen, where Chloe was getting herself a glass of milk.

"All right, there? I'm the Doctor, and this is my wife Aneres," The two Time Lords waved at the little girl, who just stared at them impassively.

"I'm Chloe Webber." Her voice was raspy and monotonous as she replied. The Doctor smiled at her.

"How're you doing, Chloe Webber?" He asked gently. Chloe stared at him, her expression unchanged.

"I'm busy. I'm making something, aren't I," Her eyes darkened as she turned to Trish, "mum."

Trish sighed and looked over at Aneres. "And like I said, she's not been sleeping." The Time Lady nodded in understanding.

"What have you been making, Chloe?" Aneres asked softly. "Anything interesting?"

Chloe didn't respond, merely stared at the three adults in front of her. The Doctor's smile remained, however. " Haven't you been drawing?" Chloe's eyes seemed to brighten a little, "I'm rubbish at drawing. Stick men about my limit. Can do this, though."

Aneres chuckled as the Doctor held up the Vulcan salute from Star Trek. She watched a flicker of interest crossed Chloe's eyes

"Can you do that?" The Doctor asked. Chloe stared at him for a moment before her features darkened as they had when she addressed Trish.

"They don't stop moaning," She spat angrily. Aneres frowned at the seemingly random response. Trish's face crumpled with sadness and worry.

"Chloe," She whispered. Her daughter ignored her in favor of the two Time Lords.

"I try to help them, but they don't stop moaning," Chloe continued. Aneres took a step closer to her, the Doctor following a second later.

"Who don't?" The Doctor inquired. Aneres watched Chloe's face carefully as a myriad of emotions ripped through her eyes.

"We can be together," She rasped out. Aneres spine stiffened at the chilling words, while Trish rushed forward to try and pull her daughter into a hug.

"Sweetheart," She whispered. Chloe rounded on her with a hateful glare.

"Don't touch me, mum," Tirsh flinched and allowed Aneres to pull her away. Chloe took a quick breath and looked back at the Time Lords. "I'm busy, Doctor, Aneres."

The three adults watched as Chloe started leaving the room, her entire body tense and her face returning to its normal impassiveness. Aneres looked over at the Doctor and jerked her head after Chloe while she tried to calm Trish. The Doctor nodded and followed the girl out to the base of the stairs.

"Come on, Chloe. Don't be a spoil sport. What's the big project? I'm dying to know. What're you making up there?" He asked. In the background, he could hear Trish sniffling and Aneres giving her assurances. However, everything stopped when they heard a voice shriek from upstairs.

"Doctor!" Rose screamed. The Doctor immediately flew up the stairs, Aneres and Trish close behind while Chloe simply watched them. They eventually found Rose standing in front of Chloe's closet, shaking in terror as a demonic voice rumbled from within. Trish paled when she heard the voice a little more clearly.

"I'm coming to hurt you!" It roared, only growing louder as the Doctor ran forward and started pushing the closet door shut. He winced as rough winds battered the doors from the other side, pushing against him until finally the doors shut with a slam. Rose heaved a sigh of relief and let her body relax while Trish seemed to be in shock. Aneres, however, was looking at the doorway where Chloe was watching them.

The Time Lady slowly pulled away from Trish as she discussed the closet with the Doctor and Rose and walked over to Chloe. She smiled gently and relaxed her posture to make herself seem less threatening to the poor girl.

"Hey Chloe, can I ask you something?" She asked slowly. Chloe stared at her before nodding.

"Are you having nightmares?" Aneres questioned. Chloe nodded again, slower this time. The Time lady sighed. "Do you draw them?"

Chloe started to nod, but was cut off by Trish's approach. "What've you been drawing?" She demanded while pointing at the closet.

"I drew him yesterday," Chloe replied coolly. Trish froze.

"Who?" Aneres tensed as Chloe was silent for several seconds, praying it wasn't who she thought it was.

"Dad." Aneres slumped slightly and pinched the bridge of her nose before looking over at the Doctor. She left Trish and Chloe to their conversation, to whisper in his ear.

"She told me she's been having nightmares," The Doctor's eyes widened as he put two and two together, "I don't think he was just hitting Trish."

"I think you're right," He murmured lowly. The Doctor sighed and turned his attention back to Trish and Chloe.

"I thought we were putting him behind us. What's the matter with you?" Trish cried out, pain coating her voice. Aneres felt something snap as she watched Chloe flinch slightly, and before she knew it she was answering Trish's question instead.

"There is nothing wrong with your daughter, Trish. She's scared, she's traumatized, and somehow that has combined with her drawings and is letting her take children and bring her dad back," Aneres spat, gesturing at the wall covered in paper and the closed closet doors.

"He's dead. And these, they're kid's pictures. Now get out!" Trish screamed, tears starting to fall down her face.

"We can't leave, Trish," Aneres replied. Rose nodded.

"Chloe has a power. And we don't know how, but it's letting her do everything Aneres just told you," She tried to explain. Trish shook her head desperately and moved to somehow shield Chloe from their words.

"Get out," She spat. Aneres shook her head and took a step closer to the frightened mum.

"Trish, have you ever seen those drawings move?" She asked gently. Trish's eyes narrowed while the color drained from her face.

"I haven't seen anything," Trish whispered, seeming to try to convince not only the trio of strangers, but herself as well. The Doctor pinned her down with a stern stare.

"Yes, you have, out of the corner of your eye," He began, his voice hard and angry as he watched the two humans in front of him.

"No," Trish breathed out, desperately praying it wasn't true.

"And you dismissed it, because what choice do you have when you see something you can't possibly explain? You dismiss it, right? And if anyone mentions it, you get angry, so it's never spoken of, ever again," The Doctor continued. Trish wrapped her arms around Chloe tightly, despite the girl's protests.

"She's a child," She muttered. Aneres Moved to stand next to the Doctor.

"Yes. She's a child. She is a very frightened child who is in unimaginable pain and that can make things happen that we would never want our children to be a part of. That's why you deny it, you don't want to even consider the notion that something so terrible has happened to your daughter and pushed her to do this," Aneres murmured. Trish let out a choked sob as she spoke, shaking in fear, uncertainty and self-loathing.

"Trish," The Doctor called out, "You're terrified of her. But there's nowhere to turn to, because who's going to believe the things you see out of the corner of your eye? No one. Except us," He finished, gesturing to Aneres and Rose as well as himself. Trish stared at them, a new sort of fear entering her mind.

"Who are you?" Trish demanded softly, staring at each of the three of them. The Doctor smiled sadly at her.

"We're help," He replied. Aneres nodded and smiled at her reassuringly, glad to see the slightest bit of fear leave Trish's eyes. They all knew, however, this situation was going to instill more fear before it got better. All they could do was hope they could make it out and give Trish and Chloe another shot away from all this.

**HI GUYS! Okay so I have a couple AMAZING announcements. Firstly, as of today, we have broken 17k views on this story! That is so awesome and I am so thankful for such an amazing community of readers and fellow authors standing behind me on this journey. Secondly, we have only seven chapters left in this story! That's right, The Eye of the Oncoming Storm will finish with Doomsday, BUT it will be continued in a sequel. I am so excited to write the end of this story, not because it's the end but because it is very much the beginning of so much more! It's especially surreal because this will be the first story I have ever finished writing to completion, which is such a ginormous milestone. Thank you guys so much for being here from the beginning, and I hope you'll stick with me till the end. On another note, please leave a review with questions, comments or concerns and have an awesome rest of your day! Bye bye!**

**-Angel**


	30. Fear Her: A Fire of Rage and Hope

Aneres sighed as she descended back to the kitchen with the Doctor, Rose and Trish. She took a seat on one of the countertops, her legs swinging back and forth as she played back what had just happened and what she learned about Chloe in her mind. The Doctor, however, took a more comfortable approach and grabbed Trish's jar of marmalade, opened it and started eating it with his fingers. Aneres and Rose shot a glare at the Doctor.

"Stop it," Aneres hissed. The Doctor's expression turned sheepish as he set the jar back down and wiped his fingers off on a nearby paper towel.

"Those pictures, they're alive. She's drawing people and they end up in her pictures," Rose started. The Doctor and Aneres nodded.

"Ionic energy. Chloe's harnessing it to steal those kids and place them in some kind of holding pen made up of ionic power," He explained.

"Kids and pets," Aneres corrected, remembering the cat. The Doctor nodded while Rose frowned.

"And what about the dad from hell in her wardrobe?" Trish flinched and glared at her murderously.

"How many times do I have to tell you he's dead," She spat. Aneres sighed.

"He's physically dead, yes, but Chloe's nightmares," Aneres paused, "Her memories, they are very much real and terrifying. Chloe's drawings are somehow a coping mechanism, but that terror of a man is seconds away from becoming as real as you or I," Aneres admitted.

Trish's face lost all its color and she looked down at the floor with unshed tears. "She always got the worst of it when he was alive."

Aneres didn't say anything as anger at this woman built up within her. She knew Trish was trapped in an abusive situation, but so was her daughter and Trish wasn't handling Chloe's trauma like she should be. She shook her head and tuned back into the conversation.

"Doctor, how can a twelve year old girl be doing any of this?" Rose whispered. The Doctor's face was stern and his body was tense as he looked back over at the stairs leading up to the child in question.

"Let's find out," He decided, grabbing Aneres' hand tightly as he led the four of them back up the stairs.

When they entered the room, Chloe had moved to sit in the dead center of her bed with her legs crossed underneath her. She looked up at the Doctor and flashed him the Vulcan salute. The Doctor gave her a kind yet somewhat strained smile.

"Nice one," He commented. Chloe didn't react, merely watching the Time Lords as they approached. Before anyone could say anything else, Aneres lunged forward and placed her fingers on Chloe's temples which sent her leaning back, asleep.

Trish stared at her in horror. "What have you done?!"

The Doctor and Aneres didn't reply, instead adjusting Chloe so her body would be more comfortable.

"There we go," The Doctor murmured, pulling back to stand at the edge of Chloe's bed. Aneres watched the girl carefully, only moving to stand next to the Doctor after Chloe didn't move for several seconds.

"I can't let them do this," Trish muttered desperately. Rose reached out and held Trish back.

"Shush, it's okay. Trust them," She said. Trish flashed her a look of pure uncertainty but did as Rose bid and stopped trying to approach the two Time Lords. Rose watched as Aneres walked around to the other side of the bed while the Doctor stayed put, looming over Chloe's sleeping form.

"Now we can talk," The Doctor said kindly. Chloe's lips parted and a raspy voice left them.

"I want Chloe. Wake her up. I want Chloe," The voice whined like a petulant child. Aneres frowned at the sleeping girl.

"Who are you?" Aneres asked. The voice was silent for a moment.

"I want Chloe Webber." Trish was crying now and shaking beside Rose. She glared at Aneres coldly.

"What've you done to my little girl?" She demanded. Aneres ignored her, as did the Doctor. Rose inched closer.

"Doctor, what is it?" Rose asked gently. The Doctor once again did not reply, his attention solely on Chloe Webber and whatever was inside her.

"I'm speaking to you, the entity that is using this human child. I request parley in compliance with the Shadow Proclamation," The Doctor recited. There was a much shorter pause before the voice responded again.

"I don't care about shadows or parleys," It spat hatefully. Aneres lowered herself onto the bed and watched Chloe with sad eyes.

"So what do you care about?" The Doctor asked.

"I want my friends," It whispered, the hate replaced with a deep and aching sorrow. Aneres winced as tears pricked her eyes.

"You're lonely, I know," The Doctor crooned, "Identify yourself."

"I am one of many. I travel with my brothers and sisters. We take an endless journey. A thousand of your lifetimes," The voice paused before continuing to speak with bitter resentment once more, "But now I am alone. I hate it. It's not fair, and I hate it."

"Name yourself!" The Doctor ordered. Chloe's eyes snapped open but it was still only the voice in charge, not Chloe herself.

"Isolus," It breathed out. Aneres eyes widened in horror, as did the Doctor's as they stared down at the child.

"You're Isolus. Of course," Aneres whispered. It made sense why children were being stolen now, but it didn't justify the creature by any means. She looked down at the bedspread as the Isolus began drawing faster than humanly possible.

"Our journey began in the Deep Realms when we were a family," There was a large flower closely resembling a plumeria on a piece of paper. Trish frowned and peered at the drawing.

"What's that?" She asked. The Doctor looked over at her with sad eyes.

"The Isolus Mother, drifting in deep space," He pointed at a stream of seed-like dots fleeing the flower on the page, "See, she jettisons millions of fledgling spores. Her children. The Isolus are empathic beings of intense emotions, but when they're cast off from their mother, their empathic link, their need for each other, is what sustains them."

"They absolutely cannot be separated from each other," Aneres added. "The loneliness drives them mad and can even destroy them completely."

"Our journey is long," the Isolus continued.

"The Isolus children travel, each inside a pod. They ride the heat and energy of solar tides. It takes thousands and thousands of years for them to grow up," The Doctor elaborated. Rose frowned pityingly.

"Thousands of years just floating through space. Poor things. Don't they go mad with boredom?"

"We play," The Islous replied. Rose's eyebrows shot up.

"You play?" Aneres nodded.

"Humans have movies on plane rides, the Isolus uses the same ionic energy this one has been using to steal the kids to create their own make-believe worlds," She explained. The Doctor sighed sadly.

"Helps keep them happy. While they're happy, they can feed off each other's love. Without it, they're lost," He frowned at Chloe, "Why did you come to Earth?"

"We were too close," The Isolus replied, its voice pained as it threw away one piece of paper to get another one on which it drew a sun with large tendrils erupting from it.

"That's a solar flare from your sun. Would have made a tidal wave of solar energy that scattered the Isolus pods," The Doctor murmured to Rose and Trish.

"Only I fell to Earth. My brothers and sisters are left up there, and I cannot reach them. So alone," The Isolus choked out. Aneres frowned.

"Where's your pod? It had to have crashed nearby," She reasoned. The Isolus paused its drawing.

"My pod was drawn to heat, and I was drawn to Chloe Webber. She was like me, alone. She needed me, and I her," The Isolus whispered as it reminisced. The Doctor stared at Chloe.

"You empathised with her. You wanted to be with her because she was alone like you," The Doctor looked up at Aneres, drawing several parallels between them and the Isolus with Chloe. Aneres smiled at him sadly but was soon distracted by the Isolus.

"I want my family. It's not fair," The Isolus snapped. Aneres moved to sit on the edge of the bed and stroke Chloe's hair softly.

"I know what that's like," She murmured. "To lose your family and feel alone, but that doesn't justify what you're doing. These kids," She gestured at the drawings, "They have parents, brothers, sisters, and you've made them alone like yourself. That's not fair."

"I am alone," The Isolus breathed out once again. Aneres opened her mouth to respond-

CRASH. She whipped around to look at the closet, where a red glow began to shine and something started pounding on the doors. Aneres gasped and looked down at Chloe, who looked as if she was having a seizure. She reached down and pressed her fingers back to the little girl's temples, but was unable to bring her out of her sleep.

"I'm coming to hurt you. I'm coming," A horrifying growl emanated from the closet. Aneres looked up at the Doctor and shook her head. The Doctor immediately turned to Trish.

"Trish, how do you calm her?" He demanded. Chloe's shaking grew worse despite Aneres' attempts to soothe the poor girl, sending terror down Trish's spine.

"What?" She stammered. The Doctor took a step closer, his eyes dark as the voice from the closet grew louder.

"When she has nightmares, what do you do?" The Doctor asked. Trish barely heard him though, her eyes locked on her little Chloe as she thrashed on the bed.

"I, I-" Her mind was blank, unable to compute. Aneres snarled and stood up, her eyes set in a harsh glare.

"What do you do?" She shouted, her voice filled with fury. Trish flinched and looked over at the Time Lady.

"I sing to her," She eventually managed to get out. Aneres stormed over and grabbed Trish's wrist, ignoring the human's yelp as she dragged her over to her daughter.

"Then start singing," The Doctor ordered, turning his attention to the closet.

"Chloe, I'm coming," Chloe's dad snarled. The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver while Trish managed to start singing in a shaky whisper.

"Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree. Merry, merry king of the bush is he," She mumbled, holding Chloe tightly in her arms as she did so. Aneres moved to stand next to the Doctor, relief starting to creep in as the voice from the closet quieted gradually.

"Chloe. Chloe. Chloe. Chloe," It chanted, getting soft and softer.

"Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be. Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be," Trish finished, slumping in relief as Chloe's thrashing stopped and the voice fell silent.

The Doctor slowly opened the closet and saw the drawing had shifted slightly, showing Chloe's dad with a bottle in his hand and eyes as red as blood. He forced himself to calm, but Aneres lost it. With a frustrated shout, she lunged forward and slammed her fist into the door of the closet. Trish jumped and stared at her in horror.

Aneres sighed and flexed her fingers, reddened from her assault on the door, before turning to the Doctor. He stared at her knowingly and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Trish looked back down at her daughter.

"It came to her because she was lonely," She whispered, her voice breaking on the last word. "Chloe, I'm sorry."

"We need to find a way to stop it," The Doctor murmured to himself. Aneres took a deep breath.

"All we can do now is try to delay it," She admitted.

Rose and Trish shared a look of confusion while the Doctor nodded. Aneres turned and walked over to Chloe's desk, covered in stray paper and pencils. She then reached out and grabbed every single pencil she could find, shoving them in the back pockets of her pants as she collected them all. The Doctor joined in a second later, taking the pencils from the desk and Aneres to shove in his bottomless coat pockets.

"If she can't draw, she can't steal the kids," The Doctor explained, irritation coursing through him at Rose and Trish's inability to think it through.

The two women nodded and leapt into action a second later, grabbing pencils, markers, crayons, anything they could find in Chloe's room. Once they had gotten everything, they moved downstairs to find any stragglers.

"Chloe usually got the brunt of his temper when he'd had a drink. The day he crashed the car, I thought we were free. I thought it was over," Trish whispered to herself. Rose frowned.

"Did you talk to her about it?" She asked. Trish stiffened and shook her head.

"I didn't want to," Trish replied.

"Does Chloe see a therapist?" Aneres demanded. Trish shook her head no and flinched when the Time Lady let out a furious growl. "So you won't speak to her about it, and she doesn't have a professional to talk to? No wonder the Isolus was drawn to her."

Trish bit back a sob as well as a fresh wave of tears at Aneres' words, knowing every single one was true. The Doctor sighed and looked back over at the stairway.

"Her and the Isolus. Two lonely kids who need each other," He commented. Rose frowned at the perceived sympathy for the criminal alien.

"And it won't stop, will it, Doctor? It'll just keep pulling kids in," Rose pointed out. The Doctor nodded sadly.

"It's desperate to be loved. It's used to a pretty big family." Rose and Trish paled.

"How big?" The Doctor shared a look with Aneres.

"Anywhere from three to four billion siblings," Aneres admitted, earning shock, terror and horror in response from Trish and Rose as the whole magnitude of this crisis hit them head on.

TEotOS

"We need that pod," The Doctor explained as they left Trish with Chloe and strode down the street, back to the Tardis.

"It crashed. Won't it be destroyed?" Rose asked. Aneres shook her head.

"Not if it went to a heat source. Its reserves will be topped off enough to launch, which is all we need," Aneres responded. Rose nodded slowly.

"It should also have a weak energy signature that the Tardis can trace. Once we find it, then we can stop the Isolus," The Doctor added. "We can scan for the same trace that I picked up from the scribble creature. We'd need to widen the field a bit."

Aneres nodded. "Should be easy enough to make a detector with an internal magnification device," She pointed out.

The Doctor nodded and threw open the Tardis doors before storming over to the console. Aneres plopped down on the chair beside him and watched as he pulled out a large box of spare parts and tools. Rose remained standing as the Doctor built some sort of device, occasionally holding tools for him. Finally, the silence started to bother her.

"You knew the Isolus was lonely before it told you. How?" The Doctor didn't look up from his device.

"I know what it's like to travel a long way on your own. Give me the styner-magnetic. The thing in your left hand," He ordered, clicking his fingers at Rose. Aneres watched as Rose's face contorted with frustration, but didn't laugh, She was too angry and sad on Chloe Webber's bhalf to find anything humorous in that moment.

"Sounds like you're on its side," Rose commented. The Doctor rolled his eyes and wrapped two wires together.

"I sympathise, that's all," He snapped. Rose's eyes narrowed in a glare.

"The Isolus has caused a lot of pain for these people," She retorted. Aneres pinched the bridge of her nose.

"The Isolus is a child," She paused, "Not even that in fact. The Isolus is a toddler dealing with being ripped away from its family, I can't exactly blame it for reacting this way." Rose scoffed.

"Feels to me like a temper tantrum because it can't get its own way." The Doctor finally looked up from his device.

"It's scared, Rose! Come on, you were a kid once. Binary dot," He snipped. Rose rolled her eyes.

"Yes, and I know what kids can be like. Right little terrors," She muttered, Aneres rolled her eyes.

"Not always," She shot back. The Doctor nodded and held out his hand.

"Gum." Rose spat her chewing gum into the Doctor's palm. He immediately applied it to part of the device, ignoring Aneres' look of disgust. Rose sighed as she watched him work.

"I've got cousins. Kids can't have it all their own way. That's part of being a family," Rose argued. The Doctor looked up at her with narrowed eyes.

"What about trying to understand them?" He retorted. Rose scoffed, frowning when Aneres shot her a glare.

"Easy for you to say. You don't have kids," She pointed out. Aneres and The Doctor froze for a split second.

"We were parents once," The Time Lords muttered in unison, wincing as pain rolled over them. Rose's mouth dropped open.

"What did you say?" She whispered, her mind shattering as she tried to process that. The Doctor and Aneres didn't reply, instead continuing to build the device or sit in silence.

"I think we're there," The Doctor murmured finally, holding the device out to Aneres for inspection. Her green eyes flicked over the mechanisms for several seconds.

"Yeah, you're all set," Aneres decided. The Doctor nodded and sealed the device with a glass dome before turning back to Rose, who still looked shocked and somewhat close to vomiting.

"Fear, loneliness. They're the big ones, Rose. Some of the most terrible acts ever committed have been inspired by them. We're not dealing with something that wants to conquer or destroy," He rambled. "There's a lot of things you need to get across this universe. Warp drive, wormhole refractors. You know the thing you need most of all? You need a hand to hold."

The Doctor turned to Aneres and clasped one of her hands in his with a sad smile. Aneres allowed herself to smile back and lean into the Doctor's side, still ignoring Rose's reaction to their admission. Rose shook herself from her daze a moment later as the device beeped loudly. She looked over before holding out her hand in the direction of the device. The Doctor watched her curiously and slowly reached out her hand, only to stop when she shook her head.

"No, Look, I'm pointing," Rose snapped. The Doctor peered over at the device, which had detected an energy source.

"It's the pod! It is in the street. Everything's coming up Doctor," The Doctor cheered. Aneres shook her head fondly and scooped up the device as he dragged her from the Tardis, with Rose close behind.

"Okay. It's about two inches across. Dull grey, like a gull's egg. Very light," The Doctor muttered, letting go of Aneres' hand for a moment to run his hands through his hair.

"So these pods they travel from sun to sun using heat, yeah? So it's not all about love and stuff. Doesn't the pod just need heat?" Rose pondered.

The Doctor opened his mouth to respond, but a loud crash from behind him made his blood turn cold. He turned on his heel to see Aneres and the Tardis gone and his device shattered on the ground. Rose watched in shock as every single one of the Doctor's muscles tightened like a rope in a game of tug of war and an incomprehensible amount of rage poured over his face and vibrated off him in waves.

"Chloe…" He snarled.

Rose took a step back as the Doctor turned slowly to face the street, his hands white as they closed into shaking fists. His eyes were burning with fury, one that could only be described as the sweltering rage of a burning star. His lips curled into a feral snarl that promised a fate worse than death to the creature that had dared to take Aneres away from him. In that moment, Rose felt true fear; and it stemmed from the one person she never thought would scare her.

Before she could even comprehend what was happening, the Doctor had taken off. His shoes snapped loudly against the pavement as he sprinted up to Chloe's home. He barely breathed, every fibre of his being was burning with rage and frozen stiff with fear; the mixture of which was bringing the Oncoming Storm to the surface. The Doctor hardly even registered Rose shouting from behind him as he pounded on Trish's front door. When Rose managed to reach him Trish opened the door, giving him more than enough room to sprint up the stairs.

"It's okay. I've taken all the pencils off her!" Trish shouted, fear in her heart when she realized Aneres wasn't with him; only Rose. She followed him and Rose up the stairs and paled when she heard the Doctor screaming at her daughter.

"She defended you!" He shouted, grabbing Chloe by her shoulders. Only, it still wasn't Chloe. It was the Isolus, who had yet to release its grasp on her. "She defended you and you took her away from me!"

Rose paled and rushed forward, her arms looping through the Doctor's in an attempt to pull him away. Trish followed her example and pulled Chloe away, truly terrified for her safety as the Doctor let out a growl.

"Leave me alone. I want to be with Chloe Webber. I love Chloe Webber," The Isolus wailed, flinching as the Doctor tried to lunge towards her.

"You think I don't understand that?" The Doctor screamed. "I love Aneres even more then you could ever love Chloe. She's the love of my life! We've been destined for each other since we were born and you snatched her away out of selfishness!"

Trish stifled a sob at the sheer pain in the Doctor's voice and the terror the Isolus was clearly undergoing. Rose winced as the Doctor continued to struggle, causing pain to shoot through her arms.

"Leave me alone! I love Chloe Webber!" The Isolus shrieked. The Doctor thrashed wildly in Rose's arms, wanting nothing more than to rip the Isolus to shreds in that moment.

"Give her back to me!" He cried out.

Rose gasped as he managed to break free from her. She looked around wildly and grabbed Chloe's desk chair, swinging it blindly until she heard a loud thump. The Doctor fell to the floor in a heap, a small cut on the back of his head from where Rose had managed to hit him with the chair. She let out a shaking sigh of relief and set the chair down so she could loop her arms under the Doctor's and begin to drag him downstairs.

"Don't worry, Doctor, I've got you. We'll figure this out," Rose attempted to soothe. Trish moved to stand at the top of the stairs, Chloe still firmly in her grasp. Rose looked up and pointed at Trish. "Don't leave her alone, no matter what!"

Trish nodded at the order and brought Chloe downstairs with her while Rose dragged the Doctor into the kitchen, laying him down on the tile floor. Once she was sure he was still knocked out, she stormed out to the street and looked around wildly until she spotted Kel.

"Kel, was there anything in this street in the last few days giving off a lot of heat?" She demanded. Kel ignored her, fawning over his most recently finished pothole.

"I mean, you can eat your dinner off this. Beautiful. So you tell me why the other one's got a lump in it when I gave it the same love and craftsmanship as I did this one." Rose wanted to tear her hair out.

"Well, when you've worked it out, put it in a big book about tarmacking, but before you do that, think back six days." Kel frowned but thought back, his face lighting up a second later.

"Six days. When I was laying this the first time round." Rose's eyes widened.

"What?" She whispered. Kel rolled his eyes and gestured down at the pothole.

"Well, that's when I filled in this pothole for the first time." A smile began spreading across Rose's face.

"Six days ago," She repeated. Kel nodded.

"Yeah." Rose was beaming now.

"Hot fresh tar," She realized. Kel grinned and puffed his chest out with pride.

"Blended to a secret council recipe."

Rose turned on her heel and sprinted to Kel's van, throwing the doors open violently. She frantically pushed equipment to the side, ignoring Kel's protests.

"I don't keep it in the van! Hey, that's a council van. Out!" He shouted. Rose continued searching until she grabbed a pickaxe and dashed back out of the van. Kel's eyes bulged out of his head.

"Whoa, wait, wait, wait. You just removed a council axe from a council van. Put it back. No, don't, wait. Put the axe back in the van," He shouted, groaning when Rose didn't listen to him.

"That's my van. Give me the axe," His eyes widened in horror as Rose started slamming the pickaxe into the freshly finished pothole. "No! Wait! No! No! You, stop! You just took a council axe from a council van and now you're digging up a council road! I'm reporting you to the council!"

Rose threw down the axe a moment later before dropping to her knees and sifting through the warm tar. She laughed delightedly when she found the spaceship the Doctor had described. Small, freckled and gray, like a gull's egg.

"It went for the hottest thing in the street. Your tar," She whispered, grinning at Kel who was frowning down at the object in her hands.

"What is it?" He asked. Rose looked back down at the pod.

"It's a spaceship. Not a council spaceship, I'm afraid," She replied, standing up as she spoke.

Kel opened his mouth, but didn't get a chance to reply before Rose bolted over to Trish's house. He ran after her, still trying to protest, but Rose had a one track mind in moments like these.

"I've found it! I don't know what to do with it, but maybe the Isolus will just hop on board," Rose cheered, her smile dropping when she realized Chloe was not with Trish in the living room. "Hang on, I told you not to leave her."

All three of them were distracted, however, when the crowd in the Olympic Stadium disappeared from the TV screen, leaving empty stands in their wake.

"The crowd has vanished! Er, they're gone. Everyone has gone. Thousands of people have just gone. Right in front of my eyes. It's impossible," The announcer rambled, "Bob, can we join you in the box? Bob? Not you too, Bob?"

"The stadium won't be enough," Rose whispered, "The Isolus has four billion brothers and sisters."

Rose turned and sprinted upstairs, pounding on Chloe's bedroom door furiously. "We found your ship. We can send you home!" She shouted.

Trish joined her a moment later. "Chloe?" She tried.

Rose pounded her fist on the door and jiggled the handle. "Open up!" There was no response. Rose stowed the pod in her jacket pocket and ran out to the roa, returning with a pickaxe seconds later. "Right, stand back."

She swung the axe at the door, praying the loud sounds wouldn't wake up the Doctor, who as far as she knew was still on the kitchen floor. Rose winced as the voice of Chloe's dad broke through the sounds of the axe breaking the door.

"I'm coming to hurt you," It growled. Rose thrust her arm through the small gap in the door and sighed in relief as she wrapped her hand around the top of the chair that Chloe had pushed in front of the door. She quickly pushed it out of the way and threw the door open.

"I'm coming, coming to hurt you," Chloe's dad growled. Rose paled as Chloe continued drawing on the wall, specifically a drawing of the planet Earth.

"Chloe!" She shouted. Chloe didn't respond.

"I'm coming to hurt you. I'm coming." Rose trembled as Chloe's dad got louder and louder. She looked over at Trish apologetically.

"I've got to stop her." Chloe turned to glare at her, still under the control of the Isolus.

"If you stop Chloe Webber, I will let him out. We will let him out together. I cannot be alone. It's not fair," Rose flinched at her words and grabbed the pod from her pocket.

"Look, I've got your pod," She tried. Chloe turned back to the drawing.

"The pod is dead," The Isolus spat. Rose frowned and looked down at it.

"It only needs heat," Rose replied, confused.

"It needs more than heat," The Isolus retorted. Rose opened her mouth but was cut off as a familiar hand reached out and grabbed the pod from her. She looked up to see the Doctor staring at the pod before he sprinted out the door.

"Doctor!" She cried out.

TEotOS

Aneres gasped as she found herself back in the real world, and immediately clutched her skull in pain as the Doctor's voice screamed across her mind.

"_Annie! Annie you need to get to the torch!"_ She took a deep breath and stumbled forward. _"It has the pod! Go!"_

"_What about Chloe?" _Aneres demanded. _"If I came back, that means-"_

"_We have it under control, but you need to get to the torch!" _The Doctor insisted.

Aneres nodded to herself and took several deep breaths before sprinting down the road, desperately hoping she wasn't too late. Houses passed her in a blur, her shoes clacked against the pavement, her hair whipped behind her in the breeze. Every so often she would hear the Doctor giving her directions, pointing her the right way as he had been doing since she had met him.

She cheered as she spotted the Torch runner, only to pale at the sight of him passed out on the ground, the torch beside him. Aneres sprinted forward, breaking past the police, past the crowds, and scooped up the torch. Cheers echoed around her as she ran, the heavy torch chittering every so often as she got ever closer to the stadium.

"_C'mon Esha, c'mon,"_ She heard the Doctor whisper in her mind. Aneres allowed herself to smile as the stadium came into view.

The cheers hadn't stopped since she had grabbed the torch, and didn't stop as she ran up the red-carpet to the large cauldron. A laugh of unadulterated joy shot from her lips as she lit the gas with the torch. Thunderous cheers, whistles and shouts rang out from the stands.

"Go on, your family is waiting for you," She whispered, watching as the pod travelled with the flames up to the main cauldron.

With a flash, the flames grew and a small dot shot into the night sky, gleaming all the while. Aneres smiled before turning on her heels and running right back out of the stadium, a very worried Time Lord waiting for her all the while.

TEotOS

The Doctor paced back and forth, his connection with Aneres blocked because of the overload of emotions in both of their minds. He looked around frantically, only to freeze when a set of familiar arms wrapped around him tightly from behind. The Doctor spun in the arms and came face to face with Aneres.

"Oh thank God," He whispered, his hands coming up to cup her cheeks gently.

She smiled up at him and allowed him to pull her into a deep kiss. They didn't part until Rose approached with her hands tucked behind her back, a slight look of annoyance on her face at the spectacle.

"Cake?" The blonde offered with a tight smile.

The Doctor let out a short laugh as Rose pulled out three fairy cakes, two with the edible silver ball bearings, and one without. Aneres raised an eyebrow at the blonde, who looked away as her cheeks turned red.

"You said you didn't like sprinkles," Rose explained. Aneres chuckled and took the undecorated cake from her while the Doctor picked the most sprinkle-covered one.

"Top banana. Mmm. I can't stress this enough. Ball bearings you can eat, masterpiece!" He cheered as he took a bite. Aneres shook her head fondly and took a bite of her own cake, only to frown when she caught a glimpse of a large gash on the back of the Doctor's head.

"What happened?" She demanded. The Doctor winced and jerked his head at Rose.

"She hit me with a chair," Aneres turned to glare at Rose. The blonde held her hands up in surrender.

"He thought he'd lost you and was threatening the Isolus," She defended. Aneres raised an eyebrow at the Doctor, who blushed and avoided her gaze.

"Well," The Time Lady finally responded, "You didn't lose me, and you did the right thing Rose," She admitted. The Doctor gaped at her, as did the blonde.

"Seriously?" Rose demanded. Aneres nodded slowly.

"Yes, but don't look too far into this," She snapped. "Or I will yell at you if you want me to."

The Doctor laughed and pressed a kiss to her head. "Nah you wouldn't. Not on a night like this. This is a night for lost things being found. Come on."

The three travelers made their way down the streets. "What now?" Rose asked.

"I want to go to the Games. It's what we came for," The Doctor replied around a bite of the cake, seemingly outraged at the very question. Rose beamed while Aneres rolled her eyes.

"Go on, give us a clue. Which events do we do well in?" She demanded. Aneres laughed and took another bite of the cake in her hand while the Doctor swallowed his own so he could respond.

"Well, I will tell you this. Papua New Guinea surprises everyone in the shot put," The Doctor replied. Rose's eyebrows shot up while Aneres snickered from beside him.

"Really? You're joking, aren't you? Doctor, are you serious or are you joking?" The Doctor pretended not to hear her, pressing a finger to his lips in response. Rose rolled her eyes. "Aneres, is he joking?"

Aneres chuckled and finished off her cake. "Wait and see, Rose."

The Doctor smiled as the two women maintained a somewhat pleasant interaction for one of the first times since meeting each other. He paused his thought, however, as Rose turned to him.

"You know what? They keep on trying to split us up, but they never ever will," She claimed. The Doctor's smile fell at her words, remembering Jackie's concerns and how he had once believed he would never ever be separated from Aneres.

"Never say never ever," He eventually replied. Aneres looked up at him, but didn't comment as Rose brushed his comment off.

"Nah, we'll always be okay, you and me. Don't you reckon, Doctor?"

The Doctor couldn't bring himself to respond to her question, especially when a dark shiver went down his spine and a creeping sense of foreboding spread over himself and Aneres. The two Time Lords looked up at the darkening sky as the fireworks began overhead.

"There's something in the air," Aneres took a deep breath as she spoke.

"What?" Rose demanded, frowning at the Time Lady. The Doctor shuddered and glared up at the sky.

"A storm's approaching."

**Helloooooo everybody! This was the last chapter of Fear Her, which means that we have five chapters left (I miscounted last time) in this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I loved writing it. Please leave a review with questions, comments or concerns and I hope to be back soon with an original chapter. Bye bye lovely readers!**

**-Angel**


	31. Stitches, Lovers, and Contemplation

Aneres hummed as the Doctor led her and Rose back into the Tardis after a long sixteen days spent watching the Olympic Games, in fact it was even longer than that when the times they went back in time to catch any events they missed was taken into account. Despite her exhaustion, however, the devious Time Lady had something on her mind other than sleep, which only became obvious the longer she spent glued to her Tether's side.

"Well, I'm heading off to bed," Rose murmured with a yawn as the Doctor closed the doors to the Tardis behind them. He nodded in understanding and flashed her a quick smile.

"Sounds good, see you in the morning." Aneres could barely keep her excitement down as Rose gave him a slow thumbs up before trudging out of the room.

"So," Aneres turned to look at the Doctor, "What shall you and I do?" He asked slowly, his eyes filled with an emotion she knew all too well.

The Time Lady tapped her finger against her chin for a few seconds, as if in deep thought, before grinning at him. "Well, first off, I'm going to fix that gash on the back of your head, and then we'll see what else we feel up to."

The Doctor grinned at her and grabbed her hand as they made their way down to the Med-Bay, which had been conveniently placed across the hall from their bedroom. As soon as they entered, Aneres sat the Doctor down on the examination table and pulled out a pair of latex gloves.

"I'm going to have to clean it first, and then I'll see if you need stitches or not," Aneres explained as she slipped the gloves onto her hands and pulled out an alcohol solution, gauze, and a kit for stitches.

"Just be gentle with me," The Doctor pleaded, his eyes wide and his bottom lip in an adorable pout. Aneres rolled her eyes.

"I've treated you for far worse, and you know it. Now, sit still," She ordered while moving to stand behind him.

"Yes, dear."

Aneres hummed as she worked, dipping small sections of gauze into the alcohol solution before gently dabbing it onto the Doctor's injury. He hissed in pain at the first several touches, and shivered as small drops of alcohol slithered down his skin and soaked into the collar of his short. Nevertheless, she continued until the area was as sterile as she could get it.

"Are we almost done?" the Doctor whined. Aneres sighed and leaned forward to press a soft kiss to his temple.

"I've only just cleaned it, Theta. Now I need to actually treat it before it gets nasty," She reminded him. The Doctor sighed and nodded slowly, wincing at the stab of pain that accompanied the motion.

Aneres then grabbed a pair of glasses with magnifiers on them and peered at the wound while simultaneously grabbing a ruler and a cotton swab. She gently started to insert the cotton swab into the wound, cringing when the Doctor let out another hiss of pain.

"I'm sorry darling, I just need to see how deep it is," Aneres murmured comfortingly, her free hand coming up to rub the Doctor's back soothingly. A few moments later, she removed the swab and held it against the ruler.

"Will I need stitches?" The Doctor asked hesitantly. He groaned when Aneres hummed and nodded in response.

"Your wound is about a third of an inch deep, which means stitches," She explained.

The Doctor groaned again, especially when she opened the stitches kit and carefully prepared the needle. His legs bounced as he waited, only stopping when Aneres scooched herself closer to him.

"Do you want me to count down before I start?" She asked gently. The Doctor nodded frantically, his fingers turning white as he clenched the side of the examination table. "Okay, three, two, one…"

The Doctor yelped as the needle slipped into his skin and started to carefully stitch his skin back together, but held as still as he could. Aneres smiled at him sadly and whispered sweet nothings all the while as she added stitch after stitch. Finally, after about five minutes, Aneres tied off the end and snipped the thread before pulling away.

"You're all set! Just try not to move your head too much for the next twelve hours and then you'll be golden," She cheered. The Doctor turned and smiled at her before pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.

"You know, you might be giving me a run for my money," He teased, referring to his title. Aneres rolled her eyes and pulled off her magnified spectacles.

"Just because I know how to put you back together doesn't mean I'm a doctor," She scoffed. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her. "Besides, I only make sure you feel better; not everyone else."

"Hmm," The Doctor drawled, "Perhaps my nurse?" He suggested. Aneres' mouth dropped open before she cackled and lightly thwacked him in the arm.

"Not in a million years," She snickered, "I'm just a devoted wife."

The Doctor nodded earnestly and leaned in to nuzzle her neck lightly. "That you are, Esha. That you are," He whispered sweetly. Aneres blushed and pushed him away, a mock scolding look on her face.

"No stretching," She reminded him. "I don't want to redo the stitches I just finished, especially since you opened the wound more when we were running around at the games."

The Doctor pouted. "But I want to kiss you," He whined. Aneres laughed and leaned in to kiss the Doctor lightly on his lips.

"Then you'll just have to let me do all the work," She murmured, accenting each word with kisses that traced a path from his lips down the left side of his jaw and neck.

The Doctor moaned softly before leaping off the table and grabbing her hand so he could drag her to their bedroom. Aneres laughed as he pulled her inside, kicking the door shut behind them before pressing her up against it.

"You are stunning," He growled, his head dipping down ever so slightly to kiss, lick and nip at her neck.

Aneres gasped and brought her hands up to tangle in his suit jacket, trying to remind herself not to yank at his hair and risk ripping the stitches. Soft moans leapt from her lips as he continued to ravish her, this time moving to the other side of her neck.

"I thought I was…" Another moan as he kissed just beneath her hair, "Going to be doing all the work," She rasped out, her voice low and sultry as pleasure coated it as a syrup.

The Doctor smirked and sucked at her collarbone before pulling away and holding his arms out like he was an offering. "I'm all yours, dearest."

That was all the invitation Aneres needed, for in the next second she rushed forward pulled him into a deep kiss while her long and spindly fingers moved to frantically undo the buttons of his suit jacket. The Doctor moaned and reached down to grab her hips and squeeze gently, delighting in the soft gasp that escaped Aneres.

"God Esha," His words were slightly muffled as his tongue slid against Aneres', "You are delicious."

"Mm," Aneres moaned, pulling away from the kiss to focus on unbuttoning his dress shirt, "So are you."

Within minutes, the Doctor was shedding his shirt and jacket before he found himself being pushed onto the bed by his Tether. His eyes glazed over with lust as she quickly pulled off her own shirt to reveal a delicate pink bra and her smooth alabaster skin before moving to straddle his hips. Aneres grinned down at him and leaned down to press her lips to his-

"Oh my God!" The two Time Lords yelped as Rose's shriek echoed from the doorway. Aneres quickly yanked the comforter up to cover the Doctor's exposed chest while glaring daggers at the blonde.

"Haven't you heard of knocking?" She hissed with a snarl.

Rose paled and tried to run, but her hand refused to release the doorknob from its grasp. Aneres slowly moved off the bed and over to the doorway, ignoring the Doctor's pleas for her to calm down.

"I… I…," Rose spluttered, wincing as Aneres towered over her.

"Get. Out," Aneres snapped, shoving Rose back through the doorway and slamming the door in her face before locking it.

The Doctor winced as the heavy footfalls of Rose sprinting down the hallways of the Tardis echoed, even audible through the locked doors, and looked over at his Tether. She was still bristling with anger, but seemed far calmer now that Rose wasn't actually there. Eventually, she sighed and turned to him with a small smile.

"Now, where were we?" Aneres asked sweetly, swaying her hips as she walked back to her husband, the love of her life, with pleasure in her eyes and desire in her bones.

The Doctor grinned and reached up to grip her waist as she straddled him once again. "I believe we were going to pleasure each other into oblivion," He replied, his voice almost a growl.

Aneres grinned and leaned down to kiss him passionately, her hands moving to lightly caress his shoulders, occasionally scratching with the tips of her nails. The Doctor shuddered and arched into her touch, moaning loudly as his budding erection ground into Aneres' clothed pelvis.

"Someone's eager," The Doctor gasped as Aneres rolled her hips slowly, teasing him with the smallest spike of pleasure.

"Of course I am," He groaned out, biting his lip while Aneres kissed her way down his neck to his chest. "How could I not be? You are… irresistible."

"Mm," Aneres whispered, biting gently at the skin of his sinewed chest. "Your flattery is getting you somewhere."

Her fingers dipped ever lower to undo the button at the top of his pants. The Doctor shivered as she gently brushed against his erection while she pulled down the zipper with anticipation in her eyes. Within seconds, she pulled away and yanked his pants down, along with his boxers to reveal his stiff and waiting cock. Aneres' tongue darted out quickly to lick her lips while her fingers slid to wrap around the base, eliciting a loud moan from the Doctor.

"Esha… please, no teasing," He pleaded. Aneres' cocked an eyebrow and shook her head sweetly.

"Theta, darling, we both know how much we love to tease," She growled before pressing her lips to his while her hand began slowly yet firmly stroking his cock.

The Doctor gasped as the sensations washed over him, his own hands coming up from her waist to tangle in her hair and hold her lips against his. Aneres gasped as he tugged lightly, allowing him to slip his tongue inside her mouth. She shivered as one of his hands moved to trail down her spine to the clasp of her bra, quickly undoing it with a flick of his fingers.

"Aren't you clever," Aneres breathed out, her hips rolling against his own again. The Doctor smirked into the kiss and gently pulled the garment down to expose her breasts.

"If I'm clever, then you're the most beautiful woman alive," He murmured as he reached down to cup her breasts in his hands. Aneres gasped and arched into his touch.

"Theta…" She whispered. "Touch me, everywhere."

"As you wish," The Doctor crooned.

Aneres moaned while the Doctor's fingers danced across her skin, leaving a blazing trail of fiery pleasure in their wake. Her hips rolled against his pelvis as he pulled and kneaded and licked and sucked at her skin. Her nails raked across any skin she could access on her Tether's body, stitching red lines across his body that stung in the most delightful way. Finally, the Doctor's fingers slid down to pull down Aneres' pants and thong until they slipped off her milky white legs.

"There," Aneres gasped, "Now we're both defrocked."

The Doctor leaned back to lay down completely, his hands still raised to toy with her breasts and trail across her body, while Aneres followed his descent to press her lips against his. As they kissed, the Doctor's fingers glided down to the tangle of ebony curls that cloaked her delicious sheath. Aneres moaned loudly, sending a bolt of satisfaction through the Doctor's mind as he firmly pressed against her clit and stroked it slowly.

"Theta… Theta," She cried out, her back arching and forcing her to part from the kiss. The Doctor moaned as she unintentionally ground her wet center down on his hard length, sending spikes of delirious pleasure through every single nerve ending he possessed.

"Esha," He pleaded, "I can't wait any longer. Please."

Aneres smiled down at him sweetly before batting his hand away from her slit and grabbing his cock in her hand to guide him inside. Her breath stopped in her throat as her Tether filled her to the brim, pulsing within her and merging her mind with his own. The Doctor pulled her close so their torsos brushed against one another, savoring in the warmth of each other's minds, hearts, bodies and souls as they moved against each other in unison.

TEotOS

Meanwhile, halfway across the Tardis, Rose was doing her best to drown out the thoughts she was having about what on Earth she had just witnessed between Aneres and the Doctor. She had tried everything from making tea, watching telly, calling her mum, to trying to sleep through it, but nothing was working. All she could see in her mind was the horrific image of Aneres, topless, on top of an equally topless Doctor.

"Well," She rolled onto her stomach and pulled a blanket over her face, "I guess I really can't deny what they have."

Her mind drifted to when Chloe had taken Aneres from the Doctor, how he had said she was his from the moment they were born. That she was his soulmate. Rose desperately wanted to believe it wasn't true, but she had seen them before they had seen her. The tenderness, the love in their eyes, it couldn't be false. Her eyes filled with tears.

"Why? Why can't I have someone that makes me as happy as he does? Why did Aneres get to have him all to herself?" Rose whispered to herself.

_"Because he's hers. Always has been,"_ An ethereal, yet cold voice echoed in her mind. It reminded her of when she took in the Heart of the Tardis.

"Doesn't he get a choice? Couldn't they have been friends instead of husband and wife?" Rose asked, seemingly unbothered by the unknown voice.

"_They did have a choice. The Time Lords who are blessed with their connection can be tied together as enemies, friends, or lovers. At some point, the two of them chose the last one and in doing so became the most complete versions of themselves they could be," _The voice continued. Rose scowled.

"He should have chosen differently," She muttered bitterly. Rose gasped as a flash of light ripped across her vision, forcing a shout of pain from her.

"_No. You should stop chasing what you can't have, Rose. No matter how kind you seem to be to Aneres, no matter how much you hope and dream, it will not happen. You might even find the very possibility of remaining with the Doctor impossible,"_ The voice paused before a hint of smugness entered its tone, _"As a wise companion once said, 'everything has its time'."_

Rose tensed at the reminder of Sarah Jane, a woman who had known Aneres and the Doctor as a couple for the entire duration of her travels with them. She wondered, in that moment, if it had been easier for Sarah Jane to travel with the Doctor because of Aneres' presence. Had any possible desires been eliminated? Had Sarah Jane pursued the Doctor as well?

"_No, she did not. No one, other than you, has ever decided to woo the Doctor despite Aneres' presence," _The voice spat, somehow even colder and filled with more distaste than before. _"And as a result, no other companion has ever come as close to incurring the Doctor's wrath as you have."_

"I haven't upset him at all!" Rose winced and amended her statement, "Well, not enough for him to go all 'Oncoming Storm' on me. Besides, who are you anyways?"

"_I am the Tardis. I am the machine that shields you for the terror and rage of the Time Vortex, and the protector of my Pilot and his love. And with that, I shall leave you to your thoughts…"_

And, without a sensation, or any other word, the voice was silent. Rose sighed and hid her face in the blankets, pondering everything that had happened since Aneres had arrived. She had been unsuccessful in driving the woman away, in wooing the Doctor, in keeping Mickey, and so she had resorted to attempting kindness in an effort to draw out the amount of time she would be with the Doctor. After all, she had to clean up within a month and then all would be forgiven. That was the Doctor's condition, and after the month passed he would stop watching her so carefully and she could eliminate Aneres.

All she had to do, was wait.

**Hellooooooooo everybody! I know, this chapter was a month late, and I do apologize greatly for the wait. However, it was for a good cause. I GRADUATED! I'm now on to my next stage in life, university, and I completed my AP exams as well. On top of all this, some drama from last year around this time came back that I had to deal with. However, now everything is looking up and I've even started planning out the sequel for this story. Thank you for being devoted readers, please leave a review with questions, comments or concerns for this chapter, and I hope to write for you all again soon. **

**-Angel**


	32. Army of Ghosts: Loved Ones or Enemies?

When Aneres and the Doctor next saw Rose after the unfortunate bedroom incident, none of them could make eye contact with one another. It was unbearably awkward, to say the least, and so the Doctor decided to distract them all with a short trip to Nizuria X-392: an expansive bazaar on one of the largest asteroids in the Ilkrianiso System. It had helped to alleviate the tension, and by the time it was over the three of them were able to hold some semblance of a conversation.

"Hey, Doctor?" Rose asked, moving to look at him from around the console. The Doctor looked up, a screwdriver in his mouth as he fixed a few loose knobs. "I was wondering if we could make a stop at home so I could visit my mum and give her the souvenir I bought."

The Doctor removed the screwdriver and passed it to Aneres, who had earbuds in for listening pleasures while she worked on rewiring a section of the console, before smiling at Rose. "'Course we can, just give us a second to fix up these bits, okay?"

Rose nodded. "Sounds good, I'm just going to go get my laundry and the souvenirs together."

The Doctor nodded and watched his companion leave before turning to his Tether. "How's that panel coming?"

Aneres didn't answer, her music blasting through the earbuds, and instead screwed the panel back into place before standing up. The Doctor smiled fondly and walked over to place his hands on her waist and press a soft kiss just behind her right ear. Aneres jumped and pulled out her earbuds before turning in his arms and smiling at him.

"Sorry, I had my Queen going," She explained. The Doctor chuckled and gave her a gentle peck on the nose.

"Well, that's excusable I suppose," He teased. Aneres rolled her eyes and ruffled his hair, grinning when it stuck up even more than usual.

"I would hope so. Freddie Mercury is pretty damn amazing after all," She remarked.

The Doctor nodded in agreement and picked up the earbuds with a grin. He carefully slipped one into her ear and another into his, bringing the powerful vocals of 'Killer Queen' into their minds. Aneres grinned back and swayed with him idly to the beat as they continued fiddling with the console, never more than a foot apart for fear of losing an earbud.

"We're taking Rose home, by the way," The Doctor chimed as he twisted a dial. Aneres raised an eyebrow. "She wants to give her mum the souvenir she picked up," He explained.

Aneres hummed in understanding and walked over to the steering controls, where she quickly plugged in several coordinates and slammed a lever down. "Well then, let's go," She murmured, beaming as the Tardis launched through the Vortex on a path towards the Powell Estate.

TEotOS

When they landed, it was in a small playground not terribly far from Rose's home that was thankfully devoid of children and their parents. Rose and the Doctor were the first to exit, while Aneres hung back with an uncertain look on her face. The Doctor looked back at her and frowned.

"C'mon Annie," He said, holding a hand out to her. His frown deepened when Aneres walked over to him incredibly reluctantly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," She replied hastily, mentally kicking herself for worrying the Doctor, "I'm just not sure it's a good idea for me to meet Jackie. She probably hates me for all the drama with Rose."

The Doctor laughed lightly and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Jackie is completely fine with you, us, the whole shebang. Don't worry about it."

Aneres raised an eyebrow at him. "You sure about that? One hundred percent?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes and tugged her out of the Tardis before closing and locking the doors. "Yes, Annie. I'm sure. Now, c'mon!"

Aneres smiled back at him and laughed as he tugged her after him, following Rose up the path to the Powell Estate and into their home. Rose was the first to enter, and took a deep breath of the familiar scent of home before shouting to her mum.

"Mum, it's us! We're back!"

Aneres watched as a woman who looked somewhat similar to Rose moved out of the kitchen. She didn't spare a glance in her or the Doctor's direction, her attention solely on Rose as they moved deeper into the home.

"Oh, I don't know why you bother with that phone. You never use it!" Jackie scolded with a flap of her hands. Rose laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, come here!" She ordered, holding out her arms for Jackie to hug her tightly.

"Oh, I love you!" Jackie shouted. Aneres cringed slightly at the shrill tone, but was otherwise unbothered by the Tyler matriarch as of that moment.

"I love you!" Rose shouted back, despite being in a tight embrace with her mum. The Doctor and Aneres shared a look of mutual discomfort but didn't comment.

"I love you so much!" Jackie said before pulling away from Rose to look over at the Doctor and Aneres. "And you must be Aneres!" She greeted with a dulled version of the enthusiasm with which she had greeted her daughter.

"Yes, I am," Aneres managed a quick smile, "It's nice to meet you Mrs. Tyler."

"Oh, just call me Jackie; everyone does," The Doctor started to walk away from the women in favor of a cup of tea, but Jackie stopped him. "Oh no, you don't. Come here!"

Aneres' eyes widened as Jackie began peppering the Doctor's face with a multitude of kisses, despite the Time Lord's clear discomfort and muffled protests. A familiar anger swirled in her stomach, but Aneres ignored it as Jackie parted from him a second later.

"Oh, you lovely big fella! Oh, you're all mine," Jackie cheered, hugging the Doctor tightly. Aneres snickered as he sent a desperate glance at her over Jackie's head.

"Just, just, just put me down!" The Doctor cried out, wriggling away from the older blonde. Jackie rolled her eyes and released him just as Rose walked over with a bulging and heavy rucksack.

"I've got loads of washing for you. And I got you this," Rose pulled out a metal knick knack with intricate carvings embellishing it, "It's from the market on this asteroid bazaar. It's made of, er, what's it called?"

The Doctor held up a finger as he panted for breath after Jackie's bear hug. Aneres rolled her eyes and flashed a quick smile at the blondes. "It's made of bazoolium, Rose."

"Bazoolium. When it gets cold, yeah, it means it's going to rain. When it's hot, it's going to be sunny. You can use it to tell the weather," Rose explained with a grin. Jackie nodded absently until Rose finished speaking before perking up.

"I've got a surprise for you and all," She whispered with a beam. Rose wilted and turned to the Doctor.

"Oh, I get her bazoolium, she doesn't even say thanks."

The Doctor shrugged, still trying to catch his breath after Jackie's affectionate attack. Aneres didn't respond, choosing instead to be a silent spectator of whatever was about to happen.

"Guess who's coming to visit? You're just in time. He'll be here at ten past. Who do you think it is?" Jackie demanded, almost bouncing with excitement.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I don't know."

"Oh go on, guess," Jackie urged. Rose scowled and waved her hand dismissively.

"No, I hate guessing. Just tell me." Jackie scoffed and glared at her daughter.

"It's your granddad. Granddad Prentice. He's on his way any minute, Right, cup of tea!" Jackie chirped before making her way into the kitchen, not noticing Rose's expression of alarm.

"She's gone mad," Rose whispered as the Doctor and Aneres walked over.

"Tell me something new," The Doctor muttered grouchily. Rose shook her head wildly.

"Granddad Prentice, that's her dad. But he died, like, ten years ago. Oh, my God. She's lost it."

Aneres winced in pity for Jackie at that realization. She knew how that felt after having lost her own parents, grandparents, children, and it was so much easier to succumb to that grief if you were alone. The Doctor sent Jackie a concerned glance while Rose made her way into the kitchen after her mother.

"Mum? What you just said about granddad…" Rose trailed off.

"Any second now," Jackie muttered as she busied herself with the task of making a pot of tea. Rose tensed and fidgeted with her fingers as she drew closer to her mum.

"But he passed away. His heart gave out. Do you remember that?" She reminded her gently. Aneres watched sadly as Jackie smiled just a tad too brightly in response.

"Of course I do," She replied. The Doctor slid an arm around Aneres' waist as they continued watching the interaction between the mother and daughter.

"Then how can he come back?" Rose asked. Jackie rolled her eyes and set her cup of tea down on the countertop.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Jackie checked her watch with an eager smile, "Ten past. Here he comes."

Aneres' eyes widened in horror and she felt herself take several steps away as an ethereal, humanoid shape appeared in the kitchen and walked over to stand next to Jackie. The Doctor's fingers clenched on her as his own wave of fear and confusion washed over him. Rose, however, stood stock still as her jaw dropped.

"Here we are, then. Dad, say hello to Rose. Ain't she grown?" Jackie asked sweetly.

Aneres shook her head slowly before turning on her heel and sprinting out of the apartment, the Doctor and Rose following her a moment later to Jackie's confusion. She let out a scream at the sight of several more ghosts walking next to families, alone, in groups of other ghosts.

"What the bloody hell has Earth done now?" Aneres demanded, rounding on the Doctor, who shrugged helplessly as he looked around.

"They're everywhere!" The Doctor whispered in shock. Rose nodded, and frowned when she realized none of the other humans around were even remotely alarmed about the ghosts.

"Doctor, look out!" She suddenly shouted, just as a ghost walked through the Doctor's body.

He choked slightly and shuddered violently as the being passed through him. Jackie came outside a second later, her 'dad' following close behind.

"They haven't got long. Midday shift only lasts a couple of minutes. They're about to fade," Jackie explained despondently. Aneres' rounded on her.

"I'm sorry, what? Last time I checked, Earth was not employing ghosts to work by the hour or the minute, so how can ghosts have shifts?" She demanded. Jackie winced and opened her mouth, but was cut off by the Doctor.

"What's going on?" He asked desperately. Jackie gave a smug smirk in his direction.

"Oh, he's not happy when I know more than him, is he?" Aneres growled and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Not when it's a vastly problematic situation like this, no!" She shouted, "Especially when you still haven't clued us in!"

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Tetchy much, dear? It's just ghosts."

"Yes, and normally people would be running or screaming or freaking out, but they're not," The Doctor explained slowly, gesturing around at the street.

"Why should we?" Jackie asked with a frown, unable to comprehend the Time Lords' astonishment and disgust. She checked her watch again with a despondent frown. "Here we go. Twelve minutes past."

With a stuttering flash, the ghosts flickered before disappearing from sight, leaving two horrified Time Lords and a confused human in their wake. The Doctor took a deep breath before taking Aneres' hand and dragging her back into the Tylers' flat and switching on the telly.

"On today's Ghostwatch, claims that some of the ghosts are starting to talk, and there seems to be a regular formation gathering around Westminster Bridge. It's almost like a military display," A news anchor reported.

"What the hell's going on?" The Doctor whispered before changing the channel.

"And tonight we're expecting very strong ghosts from London, through the North and up into Scotland." Aneres scowled, the Doctor changed the channel again.

"So basically, Eileen, what you're telling me is, that you are in love with a ghost."

"He's my ghost, and I love him twenty four seven."

Aneres shuddered and felt bile rise in her throat. "I'm all for loving who you love, but this is glorified necrophilia," She remarked with disgust. The Doctor nodded and changed the channel again.

"Well, no one needs me anymore!" A 'ghost hunter' complained. The Doctor groaned and continued skimming the channels.

"My ghost was pale and grey until I discovered Ectoshine!"

Aneres raised an eyebrow at the advert before it changed to an interview with a French correspondent, followed by one from Japan, and then one from India, it just kept going. The Doctor paled while Rose absently stared at the screen with a dropped jaw.

"It's all over the world," The Doctor whispered. Aneres took a deep breath.

"How did they get here?" She asked slowly. ROse shook her head in confusion as the telly switched to a soap opera type show.

"Listen to me, Den Watts. I don't care if you have come back from the grave. Get out of my pub! The only spirits I'm serving in this place are gin, whisky and vodka. So, you heard me. Get out!" The character shouted. The Doctor groaned and shut the telly off before turning to Jackie.

"When did it start?" He demanded.

"Well, first of all, Peggy heard this noise in the cellar, so she goes down-"

"No, I mean worldwide," The Doctor interjected. Jackie paused, her eyes wide before she shrugged.

"Oh. That was about two months ago. Just happened. Woke up one morning, and there they all were. Ghosts, everywhere. We all ran round screaming and that. Whole planet was panicking. No sign of you, thank you very much," The Doctor rolled his eyes while Aneres' hands clenched into tight fists, "Then it sort of sank in. It took us time to realise that we're lucky."

"What makes you think it's granddad?" Rose asked gently, her gaze troubled.

"It just feels like him. There's that smell, those old cigarettes. Can't you smell it?" Jackie explained, a wistful smile on her face. Rose shook her head slowly.

"I wish I could, mum, but I can't." Jackie shook her head and took her daughter's hands in hers.

"You've got to make an effort. You've got to want it, sweetheart." The Doctor's eyes widened.

"The more you want it, the stronger it gets," He whispered. Jackie nodded earnestly.

"Sort of, yeah." Aneres sighed.

"A psychic link," She murmured, earning a nod of agreement from the Doctor, "People go around wanting their dead friends and family to be alive, and now they're starting to wish something into existence."

"Yes, and the ghosts are using that to pull themselves in," The Doctor added. Jackie scowled at him.

"You're spoiling it." Aneres shook her head.

"Jackie, you can't spoil something that's already rotten to the core," She murmured. Jackie opened her mouth to protest, but the Doctor moved to stand in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Jackie, but there's no smell, there's no cigarettes. Just a memory." Rose frowned at his words.

"But if they're not ghosts, what are they then?" She asked. Jackie grinned at her daughter and looked up at the Doctor with a pleading gaze.

"Yeah, but they're human! You can see them. They look human." Aneres shook her head.

"Humans look like us, just like many other species. These ghosts? They could be anything," She explained slowly. The Doctor nodded.

"They're pressing themselves into the surface of the world. But a footprint doesn't look like a boot," He muttered. Aneres sighed and turned to face him.

"We need to figure out where they're coming from," She decided. The Doctor nodded and ran over to the Tardis, Rose and Jackie following him and Aneres.

TEotOS

"When's the next shift?" The Doctor asked several minutes later as he set up a contraption made up of three metal cones and various wires. Jackie rolled her eyes.

"Quarter to. But don't go causing trouble. What's that lot do?" She asked, pointing at the large system. Aneres ran out of the Tardis a moment later with a few more wires to connect to the controller the Doctor was holding.

"Triangulates their point of origin," The Doctor replied quickly. Aneres pulled out several stakes from her pocket and ran back into the Tardis to grab the Doctor's mallet.

"I don't suppose it's the Gelth?" Rose asked, watching as the Time Lady ran back out and started hammering the stakes into the ground to hold down the cones.

"Nah. They were just coming through one little rift. This lot are transposing themselves over the whole planet. Like tracing paper," The Doctor explained, tinkering with the controller in his hands. Jackie scowled at him.

"You're always doing this. Reducing it to science. Why can't it be real?"

"Because everything is based in science!" Aneres snapped. "Werewolves, zombies, ghosts, we can explain all of it with science but you lot just don't want to hear it!"

"Just think of it, though. All the people we've lost. Our families coming back home. Don't you think it's beautiful?" Jackie asked, her voice turning sweet and wistful. The Doctor and Aneres glared at her.

"I think it's horrific," The Doctor snarled. "Rose, give us a hand," He ordered, gesturing at the Tardis.

Rose nodded and went back inside, her mother trailing behind her. Minutes later, Aneres and the Doctor walked in, the former tying her hair into a thick and curly ponytail. She pushed past the two blondes and started plugging cables into outlets while the Doctor addressed Rose.

"As soon as the cones activate, if that line goes into the red, press that button there. If it doesn't stop," He held up the sonic screwdriver, "Setting fifteen B. Hold it against the port, eight seconds and stop."

"Fifteen B, eight seconds," Rose muttered to herself.

"If it goes into the blue, activate the deep scan on the left." Rose grinned and clicked her fingers.

"Hang on a minute, I know. Push that one," She pointed at a button on the console. The Doctor shook his head.

"Close," He hinted. Rose moved her hand to point at another button.

"That one?" The Doctor cringed.

"Now you've just killed us," He remarked. Rose winced and pointed to one last button.

"Er, that one." The Doctor beamed.

"Yeah! Now, what've we got. Two minutes to go?" He asked. Jackie nodded. "Okay, Aneres, are we all plugged in?"

Aneres stood up and jiggled the cables several times before nodding. "Yeah, these aren't moving or shorting out anytime soon."

"Great, let's go," He grinned as he grabbed her hand and yanked her out to the playground where the cones were set up.

The Doctor quickly started adjusting dials on the controller until the cones started zapping with electricity. Aneres took a step back out of caution and wound an arm around the Doctor's waist as they got everything set up. Once the cones were fully activated, the Doctor turned to shout into the Tardis.

"What's the line doing?" Rose looked at the scanner quickly while Jackie spoke to her in desperate tones.

"It's fine!" She shouted back. The Doctor nodded and turned to give the contraption a manic grin.

"Come on then, you beauty!"

With a crash, a ghost materialized inside the field. It looked normal compared to the other ghosts, but seemed more agitated somehow. Aneres frowned as the Doctor turned a nob slowly, forcing more electricity into the field and containing the signal even more than before. Her eyes widened as the ghost started writhing within the field.

"Don't like that much, do you? Who are you? Where are you coming from?" A massive shower of sparks erupted from the field. "Whoa!"

Aneres watched with fascination as the ghost started beating its hands and feet against the field in an attempt to break free. However, the two Time Lords were better engineers than the ghost gave them credit for, as every move it made was futile and only resulted in more sparks.

"Well, I think we can safely conclude these aren't the benevolent souls of those that passed," Aneres remarked. The Doctor nodded.

"Not so friendly now, are you?" A moment later, the shift ended and they quickly disassembled the cones and wires before heading back into the Tardis, not noticing the camera across the street following their every move.

TEotOS

"I said so! Those ghosts have been forced into existence from one specific point, and I can track down the source. Allons y!" The Doctor cheered, slamming the Tardis into motion with several levers while Aneres hastily unplugged the cables from the console.

"How much do you want to bet we've seen this enemy before?" She asked jokingly. The Doctor cackled.

"Oh, I'm not foolish enough to take that bet. With our luck, we might see two of them at the same time!" He replied, grinning at her.

"Well, there's only one way to find out! Allons y!" Aneres said before taking her place beside the Doctor and helping him to steer the Tardis.

"I like that. Allons y. I should say allons y more often. Allons y. Watch out, Rose Tyler. Allons y," The blonde in question raised her eyebrows, "And then, it would be really brilliant if I met someone called Alonso, because then I could say, allons y, Alonso, every time. You're staring at me…" The Doctor trailed off. Rose jerked her head backwards.

"My mum's still on board," She whispered with a pained smirk. The Doctor paled and looked over at a y-beam, where Jackie sat primly.

"If we end up on Mars, I'm going to kill you," Jackie snipped with a cold and false smile.

"Doctor-" Aneres shouted, staring at the monitor in shock as they landed. "We've got a bit of a problem."

The Doctor frowned and looked at the scanner, wincing at the sight of several armed guards surrounding the Tardis in a sort of holding bay. He groaned and wiped a hand down his face.

"Oh well there goes the advantage of surprise. Still, cuts to the chase," The Doctor turned to Rose, "Stay in here, look after Jackie."

Rose glared at him and crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm not looking after my mum."

"Well, you brought her," The Doctor pointed out, his voice high and outraged. Aneres rolled her eyes.

"I was kidnapped!" Jackie shouted. Rose's gaze softened as she stared at the Doctor.

"Doctor, they've got guns," She murmured. Aneres moved to stand next to the Doctor.

"And that's why it makes sense for the two humans who don't know diplomacy, how to disarm someone with a gun, or how to fire a gun to stay in here while the Time Lady who does goes with him," Aneres gestured at the Doctor as she spoke.

Rose glared at her. "There's too many, and they all have guns! You won't be able to do anything either."

Aneres shrugged. "I never said it was going to be our first move. Neither of us have guns on hand, you know."

"Which makes us the better people, don't you think? They can shoot us dead, but the moral high ground is ours," The Doctor added.

Aneres smiled at him before they turned and walked over to the doors, arm in arm. Just before they pushed them open, Aneres heard his voice in her mind.

"_Esha, stay close to me, alright?"_ She smiled at his worried tone and stood on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek.

"_Don't worry, Theta. We're facing this together, unstoppable,"_ The Doctor nodded and with one last deep breath, he reached out and pushed the doors open to reveal themselves to the crowd.

Aneres' eyes took a moment to adjust to the light, but when she did she was still shocked at the sight before her. A woman, with blonde hair in victory curls was running towards them in massively tall heels. The Time Lady raised an eyebrow and instinctively pulled the Doctor closer.

"Oh! Oh, how marvellous. Oh, very good. Superb. Happy day!" She squealed, beaming at the Doctor and Aneres before clapping wildly, the soldiers all joining in a moment later.

"Er, thanks. Nice to meet you. I'm the Doctor," The Doctor introduced. The woman nodded and continued grinning at them.

"Oh, I should say. Hurray!" She cheered. "And the lovely Aneres is with you as well!"

The reaction to that statement was the exact opposite of what Aneres expected, as all of the soldiers immediately lowered their guns and saluted the Time Lady, while the blonde woman's smile dimmed slightly. Aneres' other brow rose as well.

"I'm sorry, you've heard of us? Both of us?" She asked slowly. The woman nodded quickly.

"Well of course we have. And I have to say, if it wasn't for you, none of us would be here. The Doctor, Aneres, and the Tardis," Another round of applause echoed after her cheer.

"And you are?" The Doctor demanded, protective instincts kicking in even more. The woman waved her hand dismissively.

"Oh, plenty of time for that. But according to the records, you're not one for travelling alone. The Doctor and his companion. That's a pattern, isn't it, right? There's no point hiding anything. Not from us. So where is she?" Before the Doctor could open his mouth, Aneres stepped forward.

"Seeing as I'm right here, I would think your question has been answered," She drawled with a sweet smile. The blonde's eyes narrowed.

"We had it on good authority that you were travelling with a blonde named Rose Tyler, of the Powell Estate?" She asked hesitantly. Aneres' smile widened as she took another step forward.

"Miss Whatever-your-name-is, I would think that if you knew us as well as you do that we are the highest authority; especially in matters involving us personally. There is no other companion, it is just the Doctor and myself," She explained, her voice filling with venom the longer she spoke.

The Doctor grinned with pride and moved to stand next to her. "Yep, just me and my wife. Well, me, my wife and the Tardis as you already pointed out."

"How do I know you aren't lying?" The blonde asked, her eyes fully narrowed and filled with a sort of anger that Aneres knew all too well.

"You don't, but you'll trust me," Aneres took slow and careful steps closer, "Because someone in this organization likes me _very_ much and wants me protected. Otherwise the guards wouldn't have lowered their weapons as quickly as they did when I was introduced."

The Doctor mimicked her smug grin as the blonde woman bristled with obvious frustration. "And don't think about trying to search the Tardis. You've never been a companion, and you're not a Pilot, so she won't open for you."

"Oh, I'm sure we could find a way, Doctor," The woman snapped. Aneres glared at her and took another step that put them nose to nose with each other.

"Do you truly want to test that? Do you want to defile a sacred relic and bring down our anger on your head?" Aneres leaned in to whisper in her ear, "If you do, think again. I, and people in this universe and others, can tell you it won't be a fun experience."

The woman bristled one last time before pulling away and turning on her heel. "Follow me."

Aneres shared a look with the Doctor before they shrugged and followed her, feeling much more at ease now that all the guns weren't pointed at them. They moved through the warehouse with relative ease, only pausing every so often to glance at the bizarre collection of objects it contained.

"It was only a matter of time until you found us," The woman eventually spoke up, "and at last you've made it. I'd like to welcome you, Doctor. Welcome to Torchwood."

They gasped as they entered a far larger warehouse full of crates, jeeps and trucks running around, as well as a flying saucer. Aneres' eyebrows shot up to her hairline, as did the Doctors'.

"That's a Jathar Sunglider," He whispered. The blonde woman smiled smugly.

"Came down to Earth off the Shetland Islands ten years ago," She explained. The Doctor's eyes narrowed while Aneres continued to regard it in shock.

"What, did it crash?" He demanded. The blonde woman rolled her eyes.

"No, we shot it down. It violated our airspace. Then we stripped it bare. The weapon that destroyed the Sycorax on Christmas Day? That was us. Now, if you'd like to come with me. The Torchwood Institute has a motto. If it's alien, it's ours. Anything that comes from the sky, we strip it down and we use it for the good of the British Empire."

"You're wrong," Aneres snapped. The woman looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"How so?" She asked with a false smile. The Time Lady's fingers clenched into a fist.

"You can't shoot anything down that comes into your airspace, you as a planet do not have that authority," At the woman's raised eyebrows, she continued. "The Shadow Proclamation controls all interplanetary and intergalactic policies and interactions, especially the ability to shoot down foreign bodies."

"But-" The woman tried to interrupt, but Aneres growled at her.

"You had no right! You have unwittingly declared war on tens if not hundreds of alien species if this warehouse is anything to go off of," Aneres screamed, gesturing at the relics, "You are an entitled species that is so worried about themselves and their selfish desires that you can't think twice about the lives you've ruined!"

"We did it to defend-" Aneres lunged at the woman, but the Doctor held her back.

"You did it in the name of greedy imperialism bullshit! You murdered innocents who had shown every intention of willingly surrendering or not even trying to hurt you in the first place! You thought you had authority because you are a blind species who doesn't give a damn about who might be a higher authority in the grand scheme of things!" Aneres continued to shriek.

"Annie, Annie, calm down," The Doctor whispered, holding Aneres close to his body, "We're still surrounded by a lot of guns and we can't risk anything."

Aneres took several deep breaths and pinched the bridge of her nose before nodding slowly and pulling away from the Doctor. He smiled slightly and turned to the blonde woman with a raised eyebrow.

"Also, there isn't even a British Empire to defend or expand anymore, it was dissolved in 1997. Unless you all formed one behind everyone's back." He added. The woman scoffed in response.

"Not yet. Ah, excuse me. Now, if you wouldn't mind," She turned to a soldier, who passed her an incredibly large gun. "Do you recognise this, Doctor?"

"That's a particle gun."

"Good, isn't it? Took us eight years to get it to work."

"It's the twenty first century. You can't have particle guns." The woman rolled her eyes.

"We must defend our border against the alien. Thank you, Sebastian, isn't it?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"We're not saying you can't have particle guns because of defense, that's the Shadow Proclamation's job," Aneres snapped, garnering the woman's attention, "We're saying it because we're the keepers of Time and Space, and it's wrong! So much of this is wrong because this technology is out of its time in relativity to humans!"

The woman scoffed and turned back to the soldier. "Thank you, Sebastian. I think it's very important to know everyone by name. Torchwood is a very modern organisation. People skills. That's what it's all about these days. I'm a people person."

Just as Aneres thought she was about to strangle this woman, the Doctor piped up. "Have you got anyone called Alonso?"

"No, I don't think so. Is that important?" Aneres snickered, despite herself, as the blonde responded with confusion.

"No, I suppose not. What was your name?" The Doctor asked.

"Yvonne. Yvonne Hartman," The blonde replied.

The Doctor and Aneres nodded slowly before another device caught their attention. They walked over and picked up something that looked like a black step stool with a handle on top.

"Ah, yes. Now, we're rather fond of these. The Magnaclamp. Found in a spaceship buried at the base of Mount Snowdon. Attach this to an object and it cancels the mass," Aneres hummed in response, "I could use it to lift two tonnes of weight with a single hand. That's an imperial ton, by the way. Torchwood refuses to go metric," Yvonne explained. Aneres looked over at the Doctor with a smile.

"I could use that to carry you the next time you pass out." The Doctor rolled his eyes and pressed a quick kiss to her temple.

"All these devices are for Torchwood's benefit, not the general public's," Yvonne snapped. Aneres rolled her eyes.

"We're not the general public, honey," She snipped with a simpering tone.

"So, what about these ghosts?" The Doctor asked. Yvonne schooled her features back into a false smile.

"Ah yes, the ghosts. They're er what you might call a side effect," She replied. The Doctor raised his eyebrows.

"Of what?"

"All in good time, Doctor. There is an itinerary, trust me," Yvonne xplained.

At that moment, a truck drove past with the Tardis in the bed. Aneres' eyes flashed as she dashed forward, but the Doctor grabbed her hand. She snarled at Yvonne.

"You seem to have a very extensive death wish, Ms. Hartman." Yvonne rolled her eyes.

"If it's alien, it's ours."

The Doctor pulled Aneres close and smirked at Yvonne. "Well, as my wife said, you'll never get inside it."

Yvonne's false smile dropped into a sneer. "Hmm! Et cetera."

The Doctor and Aneres stole another glance, just as Rose and Jackie peeked out from behind the Tardis doors. With a small smile, the Doctor gave a quick nod to Rose, who closed the door in response. He then turned his attention back to Aneres, who was eyeing one of the guns with an appreciative glint in her eyes.

"Don't," He hissed, earning a glare from her but no resistance. The Doctor then looked back over at Yvonne as they arrived in a large white room with two large levers. "All those times I've been on Earth, I've never heard of you."

"But of course not. You're the enemy. You're actually named in the Torchwood Foundation Charter of 1879 as an enemy of the Crown," Yvonne explained. Aneres' eyes widened as she looked up at the Doctor.

"1879. That was called Torchwood, that house in Scotland!" The Doctor exclaimed. Yvonne nodded slowly.

"That's right. Where you encountered Queen Victoria and the werewolf."

Aneres grinned. "And that's why you can't hurt us. Victoria expressly said I needed to be with him or else he would be attacked, but now I'm here and I'm sure that put a hell of a damper on your plans."

Yvonne sneered but otherwise ignored the Time Lady's comment. "Her Majesty created the Torchwood Institute with the express intention of keeping Britain great, and fighting the alien horde."

The Doctor frowned. "But if I'm the enemy, does that mean that I'm a prisoner?"

"Under normal circumstances, yes," Yvonne snapped with a glare in Aneres' direction, "But since your wife is here we cannot force you to do anything or keep you captive. However, I can politely ask you to appraise something of ours."

Aneres raised an eyebrow. "Does it have something to do with the ghosts?" She asked. Yvonne shrugged.

"Perhaps. At least, we believe so," She replied. Aneres and the Doctor shared a look before shrugging as well.

"It can't hurt," The Doctor decided, following Yvonne with Aneres until they reached another room. When they arrived, they both gaped at the sight of a rather large and hovering sphere.

"Now, what do you make of that?" Yvonne demanded while a scientist approached.

"You must be the Doctor," He reached out to shake the Doctor's hand, and smiled when the Doctor accepted the gesture. He then turned to Aneres and beamed. "And the esteemed Aneres. Rajesh Singh. It's an honour, ma'am."

Aneres laughed and shook his hand quickly. "It's nice to meet you as well, Rajesh. I do hope we're not intruding."

"Oh, of course not!" Rajesh flapped his hands and continued smiling at the Time Lady. The Doctor, however, was frowning at the sphere.

"What exactly is that thing?" He asked coolly.

"We got no idea," Yvonne admitted. Aneres turned her attention to the sphere and blinked several times.

"Well, that's certainly wrong," She murmured absentmindedly.

"What makes you think there's something wrong with it?" Rajesh asked, his eyes wide and his hands rubbing together. Aneres took a step closer.

"Because I know what that is and it's not supposed to be here," She whispered. The Doctor's eyes widened as he looked between her and the sphere until he clapped his hands together.

"But of course! It's a Void Ship." Aneres nodded in response to his shout.

"And what is that?" Yvonne demanded. Aneres grinned at her.

"Well, the Doctor would say that it's impossible, but it's not. My sister worked on these on our planet, but I never saw a finished one," She explained. The Doctor grinned.

"Sounds like Vesta, a proper genius," He murmured with nostalgia. Aneres nodded before continuing her explanation.

"Essentially, the ship is designed to exist outside of time and space; or more specifically, the Void."

"And what's the Void?" Rajesh asked. The Doctor pulled out a pair of 3-D glasses and slipped them on as he launched into his own explanation.

"The space between dimensions. There's all sorts of realities around us, different dimensions, billions of parallel universes all stacked up against each other. The Void is the space in between, containing absolutely nothing. Imagine that. Nothing. No light, no dark, no up, no down, no life, no time. Without end. My people called it the Void. The Eternals call it the Howling. But some people call it Hell."

"But someone built the sphere. What for? Why go there?" Rajesh pondered. Aneres sighed.

"From what I knew, and keep in mind this is only hearsay," She warned. Rajesh and Yvonne nodded before gesturing for her to continue. "These were intended to be eternal prisons, a way to force our enemies out of the entirety of creation."

The Doctor nodded. "You could sit inside that thing and eternity would pass you by. The Big Bang, end of the Universe, start of the next, wouldn't even touch the sides."

Yvonne grinned at Rajesh. "You see, we were right. There is something inside it."

Aneres and the Doctor nodded. "Oh, yes," He mumbled.

"So how do we get in there?" Rajesh asked. Aneres rounded on him with a dropped jaw and fire in her eyes while the Doctor yanked off his glasses and glared at him.

"We don't! We send that thing back into Hell!"

"If our people put something inside here, and trust me that's the most likely scenario, then whatever is in there is incredibly dangerous to everyone in this universe," Aneres explained. Rajesh raised an eyebrow.

"It can't be anything more low-key?" He suggested. "It has to be massively destructive?"

Aneres rolled her eyes. "Yes, because we eliminated all of the lesser threats with other forms of technology. There are only a few creatures that would qualify for this sort of prison and believe me you don't want to meet them."

"How did it get here in the first place?" The Doctor demanded. Yvonne sighed and strode forward to regard the sphere.

"Well, that's how it all started. The sphere came through into this world, and the ghosts followed in its wake." The Doctor's eyes narrowed.

"Show us." He ordered before storming out of the lab and turning left, not noticing that no one was following him.

"Wrong way, Doctor," Yvonne chimed. The Doctor turned around and frowned at his wife, who hadn't moved from next to Rajesh.

"C'mon Aneres," He urged. Aneres, however, shook her head no.

"If something happens with this, it would be better that at least one person who sort of knows what a Void Ship is," She explained. The Doctor's eye filled with uncertainty, but Aneres flashed him a reassuring smile. "It'll be fine dear. Go."

The Doctor walked over and kissed her deeply before turning and walking off with Yvonne, leaving Aneres and Rajesh alone with his assistant: who had been working over a monitor the whole time.

"Well, feel free to take a look around, inspect the readings, whatever you need to do. Oh, and feel free to ask Samuel any questions," Rajesh stammered with a grandiose gesture around the room. Aneres smiled kindly and turned to walk over to the assistant.

"Excuse me, I was wondering what readings you're inspecting right now?" She asked. Her eyes widened as 'Samuel' turned to face her with a grin. "Mickey…?" She breathed out, a horrified look brimming in her eyes.

He held up a finger to his lips. "Shh, you can't blow my cover," He muttered softly before pulling her to sit down in a chair next to him.

"But… but… you can't be here!" Aneres hissed while typing away at the keyboard in front of her to drown out their whispers. "You were in a parallel universe, how the bloody hell did you cross over to this one?"

"Well, we were doing what we planned: chasing and killing Cybermen, but one day they disappeared to this universe, and we managed to find a way to follow them," Mickey explained. "But nevermind that, how are you?"

Despite her fear over the situation, she couldn't hold back the smile that appeared at his question. "I'm good Mickey. I miss you a lot though, and so does the Doctor."

Mickey grinned. "'Course he does, I'm the best companion ever!" Aneres laughed and beamed at him.

"That you are, Mickey, that you are," She agreed before the sound of a door opening distracted her.

Aneres turned and paled at the sight of Rose and Jackie standing in the room, staring at the sphere. She moved to stand, but Mickey held her back and watched as Rajesh made his way over to the two blondes.

"Can I help you?" He asked coolly. Rose blinked out of her stupor at that moment, along with her mother.

"I was just-" Rose stammered. Rajesh rolled his eyes.

"Try not to look. It does that to everyone. What do you want?" He demanded. Jackie glared at him, but a warning glance from Aneres kept her from speaking.

"Sorry. They sent me from personnel. They said some man had been taken prisoner. Some sort of Doctor? I'm just checking the lines of communication. Did they tell you anything?" Rose asked, stumbling over her words. Rajesh raised an eyebrow.

"Can I see your authorisation?" He requested. Rose smiled at him and pulled out a small leather object that Aneres knew all too well.

"Sure," She replied while passing him the psychic paper. Rajesh smirked at her and scoffed at the 'ID' in his hand.

"That's lucky. You see, everyone at Torchwood has at least a basic level of psychic training. This paper is blank, and you're a fake. Seal the room. Call security," He turned to Aneres and Mickey, "Samuel, can you check the door locks? She just walked right in and heaven help us if Aneres is injured."

Rose's eyes widened as she locked eyes with Mickey, who gave her a quick thumbs up. "Doing it now, sir," He responded while walking over to the door.

"Well, if you'd like to take a seat," Rajesh ordered with a gesture to a chair while he stared Rose and Jackie down.

"You don't have to be so rude about it," Jackie griped. Aneres took a deep breath and tried not to react and instead look absorbed in the readings.

"You'll find that I do, ma'am. You've managed to sneak into a rather secure facility with a woman who I can only assume is your daughter, and that is unacceptable." Rose snickered.

"The sneaking in or sneaking in with her daughter?" She teased.

Rajesh took a deep breath and walked away to study the sphere once more. Once she was sure he wasn't looking, Aneres turned to the blondes and smiled reassuringly. Jackie and Rose nodded slowly, not liking their only hope seemed to be the Time Lady, but going with it nonetheless. A few moments later, chaos erupted.

Alarms went off. The intercom blared with announcements for the next ghost shift. The building seemed to shake. Rajesh frowned and walked over to his comm.

"Yvonne, I thought you said the next Ghost Shift was cancelled. What's going on? Yvonne?" He yelped as a far louder rumble erupted from the other side of the room.

Aneres paled and leapt to her feet, staring at the sphere while the monitors screeched with new readings. Mickey followed her a moment later, his own eyes filled with terror as he stared at something that, according to the only woman he trusted more than his own grandmother, held the worst enemies imaginable.

"It can't be. It's active!" Rajesh shouted into the comm. "We've got a problem down here. Yvonne, can you hear me?" The sphere started trembling wildly. "Yvonne, for God's sake. The sphere is active! The readings are going wild! It's got weight, it's got mass, an electromagnetic field. It exists!"

Aneres whirled around as the doors slammed shut with a loud CLUNK! Mickey cursed under his breath and started shedding his lab coat while Aneres' mind went into overdrive.

"The door's sealed. Automatic quarantine. We can't get out!" Rajesh shouted. Rose and Jackie ran over a second later, just as Mickey pulled out a large gun from under his desk.

"It's all right, babe," He said with a wink to Aneres, who grinned. "We've beaten them before, we can beat them again. That's why I'm here. The fight goes on."

"As much as I appreciate the optimism, I think this fight is going to be a lot harder," Aneres looked over at Mickey's gun. "You got another one of those?"

Mickey grinned and grabbed another one to toss to her. Aneres caught it easily. "I can't go into battle without my best general now, can I?"

Aneres grinned at him and did a lock and load motion before aiming her gun at the sphere. "It's an honor to fight with you again, Mickey Smith."

Rose frowned. "The fight against what?"

"What do you think?" Mickey asked, his voice cold as he addressed his ex-girlfriend. Before Rose could reply, the sphere shuddered more violently. "We had them beaten, but then they escaped. The Cybermen just vanished. They found a way through to this world, but so did we."

"Aneres and the Doctor said that was impossible," Rose whispered in shock.

"Yeah, it's not the first time they've been wrong," Mickey muttered. Aneres rolled her eyes.

"Oi, not the time!" Jackie snapped, finally finding her voice amidst all the chaos. "What the hell is going on? What's inside that?" Mickey shrugged.

"No one knows. Cyber Leader, Cyber King, Emperor of the Cybermen. Whatever it is, he's dead meat," He decided. Aneres nodded and watched as Mickey looked over at Jackie with a sad smile.

"It's good to see you, Jackie. I'm sorry I never said goodbye." Jackie's returning smile was weak and trembling.

"Yeah. It's good to see you too." Another rumble echoed through the lab.

"Can anyone hear me? Come on, I need help down here! I need-" Rajesh's shouts were interrupted by a loud creak and a thunk from the sphere.

"_Esha!"_ Aneres' eyes widened as she heard the Doctor's shout in her mind. _"What's happening down there?!"_

"_Long story short, the Void Ship is opening and the walls separating the universes are collapsing,"_ Aneres replied hurriedly as a small crack began to form in the sphere.

"_How d'you know that?"_ the Doctor demanded. Aneres winced and looked over at Mickey, who winked.

"_Mickey's here. And if I had to make a wager, I'd say Pete and Jake aren't far behind." _She answered hesitantly. The crack in the sphere grew. _"I need to go, Theta. Something's happening."_

"_Esha-!"_

Aneres quickly closed the link and looked over at Mickey.

"Here we go," He breathed out as the sphere continued to crack open to reveal a black hole. "I know what's in there, and I'm ready for them."

"We both are," Aneres reminded him. Mickey nodded, much to Rajesh's confusion.

"Samuel, what are you doing?" He demanded. Mickey grinned at him.

"The name's Mickey. Mickey Smith. Defending the Earth," He introduced with a mocking salute.

They all looked forward, however, when the sphere started disappearing in a blaze of light. Then, a collective gasp of horror.

"No…" Aneres breathed out, her voice muffled by the lump in her throat and the terror in her mind.

"That's not Cybermen," Mickey murmured with a frown.

"These are far worse than Cybermen," Aneres managed to get out as she forced her hearts to beat one at a time, trying her best to appear human.

"Oh, my God," Rose choked, moving to shield her mother as four large metal creatures moved towards them.

Then, the voice that haunted Aneres' mind echoed as if she was right back in the middle of the Time War. The blue eyepiece focused on their features while arms made of plungers or whisks swirled madly.

"Location, Earth. Life forms detected. Exterminate!" One of the creatures, black in color, screamed, its metallic voice grating on their ears while its companions began to chant madly.

"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!"

The Daleks were on Earth.

**Dun… dun… DUNNNN! So, I was originally going to split this into two chapters, but it didn't have a good place to stop and start so I just did the whole thing in one chapter. This does mean that Doomsday will also most likely be in one part, which means we only have one chapter left to go! In other exciting news, we passed 20k readers! I'm so happy so many of you are enjoying my story, and while I am sad to be ending this story, I am also so EXCITED for what I have planned. Please leave a review with questions, comments or concerns about this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it and I hope everyone is staying safe. Bye bye!**

**-Angel**


	33. Doomsday: The End

"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!" The Daleks continued screaming as they landed and wheeled their way over to the Time Lady and the unfortunate humans beside her.

Aneres slowly straightened her posture and dropped her gun to the ground with a clatter. Mickey's eyes widened and he moved to stand in front of her, but Aneres held out her hand and blocked his path. Rose moved forward, but the Time Lady blocked her as well. Aneres took a deep breath, steeling her nerves as best she could, before looking at the black-colored Dalek that seemed to be leading the four that had exited the Void Ship.

"Daleks," She greeted, watching them slow to a stop in front of her. "You were thought to be destroyed in the last great Time War against the Time Lords, inhabitants of the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous."

The Dalek's eyepiece zeroed in on her face, studying her closely. "You know the history of the Daleks. How?"

"I will tell you in due time, on the condition that these humans remain alive," Aneres replied, struggling to keep her voice level as she addressed the monsters that had slaughtered her family.

Rose, Jackie, Mickey and Rajesh watched fearfully as the Dalek continued to stare at Aneres as if she was a puzzle made entirely of white pieces, unable to be properly deciphered. They all flinched as the Dalek suddenly turned its gaze to them for a moment before turning back Aneres.

"You will be necessary. Report. What is the status of the Genesis Ark?" The black Dalek demanded as it turned to face the other three that had accompanied it. Behind them was a large contraption.

"Status, hibernation," One of the gold Daleks replied. The black Dalek swivelled its eyepiece in a mutilated version of a nod.

"Commence awakening. The Genesis Ark must be protected above all else," It explained. Mickey discreetly leaned in whisper in Rose's ear.

"The Daleks. You said they were all dead." Rose paled as Aneres turned to face them with a fury blazing in her emerald eyes.

"You knew…? You had seen them after the War...?" Aneres breathed out, looking seconds away from strangling the human in front of her. Rose trembled and nodded slowly.

"The Doctor and I fought them, back in his Ninth body, but we thought I'd killed them all." Rose stammered in a whisper.

Aneres began cracking her fingers as she turned back to watch the Daleks. "Well. Now I have another question." Mickey watched her expectantly as her eyes narrowed into slits, "What the hell's a Genesis Ark?"

At that moment, the black Dalek turned back to face them. "Which of you is least important?"

Aneres raised an eyebrow at the Daleks, doing her best to maintain her facade as long as possible. "In what capacity?"

"Which of you is least important?" The Dalek repeated. Aneres tensed.

"In which field? What do you need one of us for?" She tried.

"Designate the least important!" The Dalek screamed.

Aneres stiffened, feeling terror wash over her again. Her eyes glazed over. Her fingers tightened into fists. Her muscles all constricted like snakes under her skin. Her jaw locked. Her eyes stung with unshed tears. Her mind raced with thoughts and escape plans and attempts to decipher the Dalek's motives.

"This is my responsibility," Rajesh eventually piped up. Aneres jolted and turned to glare at him.

"You will stay put, Doctor Singh," She hissed coldly. Aneres then turned to the Daleks. "If you are attempting to extract information, I would not suggest using the brainwaves of these humans or myself. Rather, these devices."

She took a tentative step towards the computer, sighing in relief when the Daleks did not make any attempt to attack. Mickey slowly pulled Rose and Jackie, with Rajesh following, further away from the Daleks until Aneres stopped moving.

"This machine contains all of the history of the Earth and its many civilizations. You'll find it far more comprehensive than the mind of any human," Aneres offered.

The black Dalek stared at her for several seconds before wheeling over to her with its brethren. They each reached out and pressed their plunger-resembling arms to the wall of the computer before seeming to suck on it. Aneres backed away as they did so until she stood next to Mickey.

"How'd you know they were looking for that?" Mickey whispered.

"The only thing we have that they don't is information, and a computer seemed much easier to replace than any of you lot," Aneres murmured. Mickey frowned.

"Won't they kill us now?" He asked. Aneres shook her head slowly.

"No, they would have done that as soon as I explained what a computer was. We're needed for something else now."

Rose swallowed loudly as she listened to them whispering back and forth, only turning her attention away when her mother tugged at her sleeve. She turned to face her and hugged her tightly.

"It's going to be okay, mum. We've been through way worse scrapes than this," Rose assured her, trying her best to calm her own frayed nerves as well as her mother's.

Jackie remained silent, but her thoughts were louder than a jet engine. All she could think was _how could the Doctor let Rose get put in this much danger? Why is this happening? Are we going to die? Why did Rose have to travel with him?_

The Daleks suddenly turned back to face the five of them. "The device spoke of a second species invading Earth infected by the superstition of ghosts," The black Dalek declared. "Dalek Thay, investigate outside."

Aneres paled as one of the Daleks was referred to by an actual name. She faintly registered her body shaking despite her very effort to stay calm, but her true focus was on the gold Dalek that was now wheeling out of the room.

"I obey," It droned. The black Dalek then turned back to where the sphere had been mere minutes earlier.

"Establish visual contact. Lower communications barrier," It ordered, watching as a large viewing screen appeared and revealed a Cyberman.

"Well," Aneres managed to whisper to Mickey, "You were at least half-right about what was coming to this universe."

Mickey grimaced. "That doesn't make me feel entirely better, but I'll tell you what would." Aneres raised an eyebrow. "Getting some proper revenge for Rickey by eliminating both these bastards," He admitted.

Aneres managed a smile before turning to watch the conversation between the Dalek and the Cyberman. "I'd be more than happy to assist you with that noble quest."

"Identify yourselves," The Dalek decreed.

"You will identify first." Aneres wanted to laugh at the Cyberman's reply, but instead settled for continuing to watch them converse.

"State your identity."

"You will identify first."

"Identify!"

"It's like Stephen Hawking meets the Speaking Clock," Mickey muttered, smiling when Aneres smiled in reply.

"Or siblings in an argument," She pointed out.

"That answer is inconsistent and illogical. You will modify," The Cyberman snapped.

"Daleks do not take orders," The black Dalek drawled.

"You have identified as Daleks." Aneres pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Someone give him a gold star," She muttered bitterly.

"Outline resembles the inferior species known as Cybermen," The Dalek spun its head and eyepiece in a circle. "Long range scans confirm the presence of crude cybernetic constructs on worldwide scale."

Beep. Beep. Aneres stiffened and turned to see Rose, who had her mobile in her hand and a terrified look on her face. A moment later, she answered the call. Aneres took a deep breath and slowly inched over to the blonde before holding her hand out for the mobile. Rose hesitated, but, after catching sight of Mickey's glare, handed it to the Time Lady.

Aneres listened carefully and almost cried when she heard the Doctor's voice on the other end of the line.

"She's answered. She's alive. Why haven't they killed her?" Aneres quickly hung up the phone and opened her mental connection while passing the mobile back to Rose.

"_Theta? Theta are you there?" _She called out. There was a moment of silence.

"_Esha?"_ Aneres felt a tear slide down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. _"Esha, what's going on? What's happened?"_

"_I was right, there was an awful enemy in the Void Ship. I take it the Cybermen happened on your end?"_

"_Yeah, most of the staff has been taken to be turned into Cybermen. They're keeping me alive for knowledge. How are you and the others?"_

"_Alive, all of us. They wanted to take one of us so they could extract knowledge, but I showed them the computer so they're safe."_

"_What else do they need you for then?"_

"_I'm not sure yet. Stay on the line, okay?"_

"_Of course, Esha."_

"We must protect the Genesis Ark," Another Dalek chimed. Aneres looked back over at the contraption the Daleks had arrived with and allowed the Doctor to look at it through her eyes for a moment.

"Our species are similar, though your design is inelegant," The Cyberman griped.

"Daleks have no concept of elegance," Another of the gold Daleks replied.

"This is obvious. But consider, our technologies are compatible. Cybermen plus Daleks. Together, we could upgrade the Universe," The Cyberman offered. The same Dalek that had named the Genesis Ark spoke again.

"You propose an alliance?"

"This is correct."

"Request denied," The Dalek replied.

In the corridor, just outside the sphere lab, they could hear Cybermen shooting at Dalek Thay. In the end, a final shout of 'Exterminate', followed by silence, alerted the four humans and one Time Lady as to who the winner had been. The visual link cut out for a moment before restoring an image of the Cyberman that seemed to be in charge of that respective species.

"Daleks, be warned. You have declared war upon the Cybermen."

Aneres winced as Rose and Jackie each let out a sob while Rajesh began shaking and Mickey moved slightly closer to her.

"This is not war. This is pest control," The black Dalek declared. The Cyberleader cocked its head to the side slightly.

"We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?"

"Four."

"You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?"

"We would destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek." Aneres sighed.

"Ain't that the truth," She whispered. Mickey frowned.

"They're that bad?" He asked gently. Aneres nodded slowly.

"This is the same species that destroyed my family and most of my people. Cybermen joined in too, as did several other alien species," She explained. "They had a massive onslaught then, sure, but they could have achieved a majority of the destruction with a mere fraction of the number they used."

"Well, that's just lovely," Mickey joked. Aneres hummed.

"You are superior in only one respect," The Dalek decided.

"What is that?" the Cyberleader inquired.

"You are better at dying. Raise communications barrier!" The Dalek screamed.

Aneres' heart leapt into her throat as she caught a glimpse of the Doctor behind the Cyberleader just before the screen went dark.

"Wait!" Another Dalek cried out. "Rewind image by nine rells. Identify grid seven gamma frame. This male registers as an enemy."

Aneres winced as the black Dalek rounded on her and wheeled over. "The female's heartbeat has increased."

"Rightly so," Mickey commented, glaring at Rose as a hint of anger entered the blonde's eyes. He leaned in to whisper in Rose's ear. "If you have any desire to be in her position, you're worse than I thought."

"Identify him," the Black Dalek ordered. Aneres stared at the Dalek for several moments, weighing her options carefully.

"That enemy is the Doctor," She eventually admitted. Her eyes darkened as a slightly unhinged smile spread across her lips. "The love of my life."

The black Dalek moved away from her, radiating fear even if it wasn't possible for Dalek's to register that emotion in the first place. "You are the Vengeance."

"Yes," Aneres took a step closer. "You know my history, I'm sure."

"The decapitator of Daleks, slayer of Cybermen, your list of titles is endless. Which why we must exterminate-!"

Aneres braced herself for the blow, but it never came. The shot was not even fired. Instead, the Dalek continued staring at her from a distance. In that moment, Rose decided to interject.

"Five million Cybermen, easy. One Doctor? Now you're scared." Mickey wanted to smack her across the face, but the Dalek's response did it for him.

"The Cyber threat is irrelevant, the Vengeance is our greatest threat, followed by the treacherous Doctor. But, we must concentrate on the Genesis Ark."

Rose's eyes widened at the minor dismissal of the Doctor as a threat and eyed Aneres with true fear in her eyes. Mickey, however, placed his hand on the Time Lady's shoulder.

"Why are we being kept alive?" He asked quietly. Aneres sighed.

"They need you, me, or Rose to wake whatever is inside that Ark, and they want to keep me contained and if they leave you four alive there's a better chance I won't rip them apart with anything I can get my hands on," She explained.

"Hang on, how could we wake it up?"

"The Daleks evolved massively towards the end of the Time War, and one thing they managed to do that the Time Lords prayed they would never achieve is the ability to use a specific radiation as an energy source," She began.

"What sort of a radiation?" Mickey whispered.

"There's no real name for it, but those that have travelled in time have it accumulated on their bodies. The Daleks managed to achieve time travel as well through the emergency Temporal Shifts they can use, and then they managed to use the radiation as a power source," Aneres explained.

"Wait, that's happened before," Rose piped up. Before Aneres could cut her off, Rose continued. "The first time I saw a Dalek, it was broken. It was dying. But I touched it. The moment I did that, I brought it back to life."

Aneres nodded slowly and looked at Mickey. "That's why they need one of us three. Now, is there any way you can get out of here?"

Mickey held up a large yellow button that hung around his neck. "I could transport out of here, but it only carries one and I'm not leaving you."

Aneres smiled sadly and reached up to touch her hand to his face. "Mickey, if you can go then you should. You can bring us help."

Mickey shook his head. "No. You're my friend and I'm not leaving you. Call me stupid, call me whatever you want but I'm not leaving."

"You are…" Aneres blinked back tears, "The bravest human I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Thank you, Mickey Smith." She frowned as a thought occurred to Mickey and caused his brows to furrow.

"But why would they build something they can't open themselves?" The black Dalek turned to them, the gaze from its eyepiece seeming even more evil than before.

"The technology is stolen. The Ark is not of Dalek design." Aneres paled.

"Which means the only other ones that could have made it are-"

"The Time Lords. This is all that survives of their home world," The black Dalek screeched.

Aneres' eyes shut, squeezing another tear down her face. It seemed her family wasn't the only thing the Daleks had stolen from Gallifrey. Mickey glared at the Daleks while Rose inched forward.

"What's inside?" She asked.

"The future," The black Dalek replied cryptically before turning back to its brethren.

"Final stage of awakening," a golden Dalek decreed. Aneres opened her eyes just in time to see the black Dalek approaching her.

"Your handprint will open the Ark," He ordered. Aneres stared down at the Dalek and shook her head slowly.

"It will not. I will not allow you to use me to defile the memory of my people," She hissed.

"Obey or the male will die," the black Dalek threatened, turning its laser on Mickey. Aneres paled and look over at him.

"No… Not Mickey," She pleaded. Jackie and Rose were crying now.

"Just do it!" Jackie eventually shrieked. "Mickey's life is more important!"

Rose nodded desperately. "Please, Aneres! Do it for Mickey!"

Aneres didn't reply, her eyes still locked on Mickey's until she saw him give a short nod. She took a deep breath and walked over to hug him tightly.

"If something happens, I want you to run," She shook her head as he started to protest, "No. You run and you don't look back. Please." Aneres took a shuddering breath. "I don't want to lose another member of my family."

Mickey stiffened before nodding slowly. Aneres pulled away and smiled at him sadly before turning and taking slow steps to the Genesis Ark. The closer she got, the more she resented her people for inventing devices like this. However, she stopped when Mickey piped up.

"Didn't the Daleks have an Emperor, Rose?" He asked innocently. Rose stared at him in shock, but nodded hesitantly. "Don't you think they want to know what happened to him?"

"The Emperor survived?" the black Dalek demanded, moving to stand in front of Rose, its eyepiece mere inches away from her face. Rose nodded slowly.

"Till he met me. Because if these are going to be my last words, then you're going to listen. I met the Emperor, and I took the Time Vortex and I pulled it into his head and turned him into dust. Do you get that? The God of all Daleks, and I destroyed him. Ha!" The blonde snarled, her eyes vacant while her lips curled into a cruel smile.

Aneres stared at the blonde in horror, some of the pieces beginning to fall into place. Obsession, delirium, hysterics, power-complexes. Whatever problems Rose had before, surely they had been exacerbated by taking the Time Vortex into her mind. Not even Time Lords were meant to do that, and she was far less durable.

A fleck of pity entered her heart for Rose. It was small, could be easily extinguished, but it was there. However, before she could think about it any more, the black Dalek was screaming again.

"You have not opened the Ark! You will be exterminated!" Aneres gasped and raised her hands in a futile gesture, only to freeze as the loveliest voice in the world echoed from the door to the lab.

"Oh now, hold on, wait a minute," The Doctor growled, a pair of 3-D glasses on his face and a promise of retribution in his eyes.

The black Dalek moved away, allowing Aneres to sprint to the Doctor. He opened his arms and caught her easily, his arms winding as tightly around her as they could, and his face moving to bury itself into her neck and breath in her scent. Despite the scent of fresh herbs from her soap, he could still detect the jasmine and blackcurrant that lingered on his Tether.

"Are you alright?" He whispered. Aneres nodded stiffly into his neck.

"We've managed to distract them for long enough," She mumbled.

The Doctor nodded and pulled away just enough to hold Aneres to his side with one arm whilst the other was free. He then turned his attention back to the Dalek who had been pointing a weapon at his Tether up until a few moments ago.

"Alert, alert. You are the Doctor." Another Dalek adjusted its eyepiece.

"Sensors report he is unarmed." The Doctor grinned maniacally.

"That's me. Always," He replied coldly. Aneres shivered and pressed herself further into his side.

"Then you are powerless," the black Dalek jeered. The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Not me. Never. How are you?" He asked, looking over at Rose, Jackie and Rajesh.

"Oh, same old, you know," Rose stammered. Jackie, however, glared at him.

"You couldn't have gotten us out of here sooner?" She demanded. The Doctor rolled his eyes and looked over at Rajesh, who sent him a thumbs up.

"Good. And Mickity McMickey. Nice to see you!" The Doctor cheered, pulling Mickey into a quick hug. He leaned down and whispered, "Thank you."

"And you, boss," Mickey replied with a discreet nod once the Doctor pulled away.

"Social interaction will cease!" Another Dalek shouted at them. The Doctor looked back over at the Daleks with icy eyes.

"How did you survive the Time War?" the black Dalek demanded. The Doctor smirked at him.

"We fought. On the front line. We were there at the fall of Arcadia. Someday we might even come to terms with that," His smirk turned to a feral snarl, "But you lot ran away!"

"We had to survive," the black Dalek replied.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "The last four Daleks in existence. So what's so special about you?"

"Doctor, they've got names," Rose piped up, only to flinch as the Doctor's deadly glare centered on her, visible despite the 3-D glasses, "I mean, Daleks don't have names, do they? One of them said they-"

"I am Dalek Thay," One chimed.

"Dalek Sek," the black Dalek greeted.

"Dalek Jast," The third Dalek droned.

"Dalek Caan," The final Dalek spat. Aneres and the Doctor gasped, their eyes widening.

"So that's it! At last. The Cult of Skaro. I thought you were just a legend," The Doctor murmured.

"All legends are based in truth," Aneres whispered, remembering the common phrase from her old history teachers on Gallifrey.

"Who are they?" Jackie demanded. The Doctor tensed but responded.

"A secret order above and beyond the Emperor himself. Their job was to imagine, think as the enemy thinks. Even dared to have names. All to find new ways of killing."

"But that thing, they said it was yours. I mean, Time Lords. They built it. What does it do?" Mickey asked quickly.

"I don't know. Never seen it before," The Doctor replied with a shrug. Rajesh's jaw dropped.

"But, your people made it!" He cried out. Aneres glared at him.

"And you don't think they kept secrets?" She quipped darkly. Rajesh wilted under her gaze, his eyes moving to stare at the floor.

"Both sides did," The Doctor confirmed as he inspected the Ark from a distance. "What is it? What have you done?"

"Time Lord science will restore Dalek supremacy." The Doctor raised an eyebrow at Dalek Sec.

"What does that mean? What sort of Time Lord science? What do you mean?" Aneres sighed.

"They need the touch of someone who's travelled through time," She explained. The Doctor gasped softly.

"Technology using the one thing a Dalek can't do. Touch. Sealed inside your casing. Not feeling anything ever, from birth to death, locked inside a cold metal cage. Completely alone. That explains your voice. No wonder you scream," The Doctor's voice dropped to a growl that even the bravest hearts would shy away from. Aneres shivered slightly, while Rose, Jackie, Mickey and Rajesh stared at him in horror.

"The Doctor will open the Ark!" Dalek Jast demanded. Aneres grinned as her Tether rounded on him.

"The Doctor will not," He scoffed. Dalek Sec inched forward.

"Then your mate will instead. You have no way of resisting," Sec bragged. The Doctor adjusted himself to position his body in front of Aneres.

"The day you touch her is the day you find yourself chained and tortured into insanity, just as you did to our people. And, there is always this," The Doctor growled while pulling out the sonic screwdriver.

"A sonic probe?" Dalek Sec jeered. The Doctor glared at it.

"That's screwdriver," He muttered.

"It is harmless." The Doctor grinned, as did Aneres.

"Oh, yes. Harmless is just the word. That's why I like it. Doesn't kill, doesn't wound, doesn't maim. But I'll tell you what it does do. It is very good at opening doors."

BANG. Aneres screamed and ducked under the Doctor as he curved his body to shield hers while the door to the laboratory exploded from the sonic screwdriver. Rose and Jackie were quick to follow with their own shouts as they attempted to get to the door. Before they knew it, the older blonde was running away in a panic.

"Mickey!" Aneres cried out. Mickey looked over at her, his gun and hers in his grasp "Run!"

He looked down at the second gun in his hand and before he knew it he was throwing it to her. "Take this! You'll need it!"

Aneres nodded and grabbed the gun before running from the room while Jake and a Cyberman entered, all guns blazing at the Daleks. The Doctor followed, his hand never leaving her body as they fled the scene.

"Delete! Delete! Delete! Delete!" The Cyberman shouted, managing to hit Dalek Thay.

"Alert. Casing impaired. Casing impaired," Thay droned. The Doctor looked over to see Rose trying to leave with Rajesh leaning on her heavily as he panicked.

"Rose, get out!" The Doctor ordered. Aneres pulled him away from the door before opening fire on Dalek Sec.

"Fire power insufficient! Fire power insufficient!" Sec screeched.

Finally, Rajesh managed to walk on his own, but Rose stumbled over a bit of debris and fell to the floor. She looked up and gasped at the sight of her parallel father. He reached out and grabbed her, a sad smile on his face as he tugged her to her feet.

"Come on," He murmured while dragging her to the door. As they approached, Aneres slowed her fire and paled at the sight of Mickey on the floor, having been knocked over somehow and lost his gun.

"Mickey!" She screamed. "No!" Aneres' eyes were wide, her fingers shook, her body tensed, and Mickey took a chance and dove for his gun.

"Daleks will be deleted. Delete. Delete," The Cyberman chanted.

"Adapt to weaponry," Dalek Caan shouted.

"Fire power restored!" Sec screamed.

A flash of light erupted from the Dalek, hitting a Cyberman square in the chest which then jostled Mickey. With a yelp, he reached out, screaming when a shot of fiery pain spread across his hand. The next moment, Aneres had grabbed him and they were sprinting to the others at the end of the hall.

"Jake, Pete, check the stairwell for Jackie. The rest of you, come on," The Doctor ordered, pulling Aneres' hand back into his own.

"Doctor," Mickey panted desperately, "I just fell, I didn't mean it!"

Aneres smiled at him sadly as they ran down the hallways to the warehouse they had passed through almost an hour or two ago. The Doctor mirrored her smile and clapped Mickey on the back.

"Mickey, without us, they'd have opened it by force. To do that, they'd have blown up the sun. You've done us a favour. Now, run!" He cried out, urging the others forward and to safety.

They nodded, eventually breaking off when they reached the warehouse, only Aneres and Rose staying with the Doctor. Slowly, Aneres pried the doors open and gestured for them to follow her inside. As they moved, the three of them stayed hidden behind crates or trucks, any amount of cover they could find. After about a minute, the Doctor pulled Aneres to a stop and forced Rose to pause behind a separate crate.

"I'll need the Magnaclamps," He whispered. Aneres nodded and checked her gun quickly.

"I've got plenty of ammo left to cover you with, go do what you need to do," She whispered, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

The Doctor nodded and looked around for a moment before crawling out and across the warehouse to where the clamps were being kept. He grabbed them and turned to come back- KSHHHH. A laser beam struck the ground next him, sending him scuttling across the floor far faster than he cared to admit. Aneres snarled at the offending alien and opened fire on it, part of her attention ever focused on the Time Lord as he made his way back to her.

"Come on, please," Rose whispered as she watched the Doctor struggle across the floor.

She looked over at the Time Lady, who was much farther away from her, and found in that moment she wanted a laser to hit Aneres so the Doctor would go to her. A moment later, however, he was able to stand and run the last bit of distance between them before embracing Aneres tightly. A metallic voice distracted them seconds later, however.

"Override roof mechanism," Sec demanded. The ceiling of the warehouse started to part, revealing the clear blue skies of London. "Elevate."

They watched in shock as Sec and the rest of the Cult of Skaro rose through the open ceiling with the Ark. Rose immediately scrambled over to where the Doctor and Aneres were.

"What're they doing? Why do they need to get outside?" Rose demanded. Aneres bit her lip, her mind racing, while the Doctor tapped his fingers against his temples frantically.

"Time Lord science. What Time Lord science? What is it?" He muttered.

Aneres shook her head desperately in an attempt to jog any ideas, but nothing came to her. Eventually, she snarled with frustration and grabbed the Doctor while breaking into a run out of the warehouse. They ran, with Rose behind them, for a few minutes until they found Jake, Mickey, Jackie and Pete standing in a corridor with Rajesh, who seemed to have fainted once again.

"We've got to see what it's doing. We've got to go back up. Come on! All of you. top floor!" The Doctor decided, barking orders at them wildly. Jackie groaned and bent over double as the muscles in her legs ached painfully.

"That's forty five floors up! Believe me, I've done them all," She complained. Jake rolled his eyes and looked over at Aneres, who shrugged.

"We could always take the lift," He eventually suggested. Aneres nodded.

"Only in small groups though," She warned them. "If we all get trapped and cornered in an elevator then this will all be for nothing."

Jake nodded and ushered her and the Doctor into the first lift, Mickey and Rose tagging along as well. The Doctor tapped his foot anxiously as they climbed the many floors of Canary Wharf in the elevator, until they finally reached the top. He burst from the lift immediately, dashing to the window just in time to see the Ark spitting Daleks out like cherry seeds in a million directions. Aneres ran over to join him and paled.

"Time Lord science. It's bigger on the inside," The Doctor whispered. Mickey's eyes widened.

"Did the Time Lords put those Daleks in there? What for?" He demanded. Aneres backed away from the window in horror.

"An eternal prison ship. One they could never escape, because they thought no one would ever get to touch it," Aneres looked down at her hands, "At least, not a time traveller."

"How many Daleks?" Rose asked softly, her entire body trembling now. The Doctor rubbed his face exasperatedly as he regarded the Daleks.

"Millions," He murmured.

At that moment, Pete, Jackie and Jake arrived in the second lift. They stared, horrified, at the fountain of Daleks before turning to the Doctor.

"I'm sorry, but you've had it. This world's going to crash and burn," Pete declared. He then turned to address Mickey, Jackie and Jake. "There's nothing we can do. We're going home."

Aneres watched as Pete pulled out another yellow button like the one Mickey was carrying around his own neck. He walked over to Jackie and held it out to her.

"Jacks, take this. You're coming with us," Pete ordered. Jackie gaped at him, her eyes wide and full of confusion.

"But they're destroying the city."

Pete pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'd forgotten you could argue. It's not just London, it's the whole world. But there's another world just waiting for you, Jacks. And it's safe as long as the Doctor closes the breach. Doctor?"

He turned back to see the Doctor and Aneres conversing quietly together, but they stopped at his address. The Doctor grinned at him and nodded.

"Oh, I'm ready. I've got the equipment right here, thank you, Torchwood, and a lovely Time Lady," He and Aneres shared a smirk, "If the Daleks think they can end another world like they did ours, they're dead wrong."

Pete nodded in understanding and watched as the two Time Lords moved to a computer terminal. The Doctor started typing while Aneres looked back over at them.

"We're essentially going to slam a massive wall between both universes, close it all off again," She explained.

"But we can't just leave. What about the Daleks? And the Cybermen?" Rose demanded.

"They're part of the problem, and that makes them part of the solution. Oh yes! Well? Isn't anyone going to ask what is it with the glasses?" The Doctor whined. Aneres rolled her eyes and kissed his temple sweetly.

"What is it with the glasses, darling?" She asked. The Doctor beamed.

"I can see, that's what. Because we've got two separate worlds, but in between the two separate worlds, we've got the Void. That's where the Daleks were hiding. And the Cybermen travelled through the Void to get here. And you lot, one world to another, via the Void. Oh, I like that. Via the Void. Look," The Doctor rambled before handing the spectacles to Rose.

She peered through them and gasped at the sight of large black speckles floating around the Doctor. Rose then turned towards Aneres, and noticed she had the same specks.

"We've been through it. Do you see?" The Doctor asked. Rose nodded slowly.

"What is it?" Mickey asked as he took the spectacles and got a good look at the speckles. The Doctor shrugged.

"Void stuff." Mickey raised an eyebrow and looked over at Aneres. She smiled at him.

"That background radiation I was telling you about," Aneres reminded. Mickey nodded in understanding and handed the spectacles back to the Doctor.

"That's it. If you look at the others, they have it too. And the only one who hasn't been through the Void, your mother. First time she's looked normal all her life," The Doctor joked.

"Oi," Jackie snapped. The Doctor rolled his eyes and continued.

"But the Daleks lived inside the Void. They're bristling with it. Cybermen, all of them. I just open the Void and reverse. The Void stuff gets sucked back inside-" Rose grinned at him.

"Pulling them all in!" She shouted. The Doctor nodded.

"Pulling them all in!"

Mickey raised an eyebrow and looked over at Aneres. "Sorry, what's the Void?"

Aneres smiled at him again. "It's the space of nothingness between the various parallel and perpendicular universes that exist, but some people call it Hell."

"So you're sending the Daleks and Cybermen to Hell. Man, I told you they were good," He cheered with a grin in Jake's direction. Rose, however, frowned.

"But it's like you said. We've all got Void stuff. Me too, because we went to that parallel world. We're all contaminated. We'll get pulled in," She murmured.

The Doctor nodded. "That's why you've got to go."

Rose blinked at him several times while Aneres turned to him with astonishment. Jackie, however, looked as if Christmas had come early and she had found a winning lottery ticket. Aneres slowly walked over to the Doctor.

"Darling, are you sure?" She asked in a whisper. The Doctor gave a mental nod while his eyes remained locked on Rose.

"Back to Pete's world. Hey, we should call it that. Pete's World. I'm opening the Void, but only on this side. You'll be safe on that side," He explained slowly as the gears started to shift in Rose's mind.

Pete frowned. "And then you close it, for good?"

"The breach itself is soaked in Void stuff. In the end it'll close itself. And that's it. Kaput," The Doctor assured him. Mickey raised an eyebrow while Rose gasped in horror.

"But you stay on this side?" The Doctor nodded and wrapped an arm around Aneres' waist.

"Both of us," He affirmed. Mickey shook his head desperately as he stared at the Time Lords.

"But you'll get pulled in!" He shouted. The Doctor shook his head no while Aneres brought out the Magnaclamps.

"That's why we got these. We'll just have to hold on tight. We've been doing it all our lives," The Doctor explained with a fond smile in Aneres' direction.

"And we're never going to stop," Aneres murmured with her own smile.

The Doctor nodded and looked back over at Rose, who was, by all accounts, extremely dismayed. Her eyes wer ever so slightly vacant. Her arms hung limply at her side. Her jaw was dropped a tad. Eventually she managed to compose herself enough to actually speak.

"I'm supposed to go." The Doctor nodded.

"Yeah."

"To another world, and then it gets sealed off." Aneres nodded.

"Yeah."

"Forever," She paused, and almost burst into tears when the Doctor and Aneres nodded again. Her sadness, however, quickly melted into fury. "That's not going to happen."

"Yes, it is, Rose," Aneres snapped gently. Rose shook her head wildly.

"No, you can't send me away!" She screamed. "You can't treat me like this. You can't treat me like Sarah Jane!"

Aneres' eyes flashed, and she moved forward, only to stumble. The building shook beneath their feet with a loud rumble. Pete and Jake shared a look before nodding.

"We haven't got time to argue. The plan works. We're going. You too. All of us," Pete ordered gesturing at his parallel daughter and wife. Rose shook her head.

"No, I'm not leaving him," She spat. Jackie glared at Pete as he tried to pull her away with the others so they could go.

"I'm not going without her." Pete groaned in frustration.

"Oh, my God. We're going!" He shouted. Jackie wrenched her arm away from him.

"I've had twenty years without you, so button it. I'm not leaving her," She declared with a fiery glare in her eyes. Rose's gaze softened as she turned to face her mother.

"You've got to." Jackie shook her head.

"No, you've got to. You need to get away from all of this," Jackie pleaded with her daughter, trying to ignore the burning hatred building in her eyes. Rose took a step away from her.

"I've had a life with you for nineteen years, but then I met the Doctor, and all the things I've seen him do for me, for you, for all of us. For the whole stupid planet and every planet out there. He does it alone, mum. But not anymore, because now he's got me," Rose rambled with a dreamy smile.

The Doctor shared a look with Aneres before taking another medallion from inside his suit jacket and holding it up. Aneres nodded and watched him slowly walk up to Rose while her back was still turned. Ever so carefully, he slipped it around Rose's neck and nodded at Pete.

Rose paled as she felt a string settle around her neck. "What're you-"

With a flash and a click of Pete's button, they were gone. Aneres bit back a sob as Mickey disappeared as well. The Doctor let out a shuddering sigh before going back to the computer and starting to set everything up. After several seconds, Aneres frowned and looked over at him.

"Why didn't you tell me you had fought the Daleks before? And that Rose had absorbed the Time Vortex?" She asked slowly. The Doctor froze and looked up at her with a healthy amount of shame in his eyes.

"I didn't want you-" He stopped as there was another flash, revealing Rose's return to their universe. A growl escaped his mouth while Aneres' eyes hardened with fury.

"I think this is the on switch," Rose mumbled. The Doctor stood and stormed over to grab Rose's shoulders and shake her madly.

"Once the breach collapses, that's it. You will never be able to see her again. Your own mother!" He screamed. Rose stared up at him, her eyes steeled with determination.

"I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never going to leave you. So what can I do to help?" She asked softly. Aneres' hands clenched into fists.

"You can sit down at and shut up, Rose," She spat. Rose glared at her and pushed past the Doctor to walk right up to her, their noses almost touching.

"How dare you?! How dare you try to send me away? Don't you know that I love him?!" Rose shrieked, gesturing at the Doctor. "That I would abandon anyone and anything for him?"

Aneres snarled at the human girl in front of her and grabbed the collar of her shirt, pulling Rose ever closer. "I know that, Rose, and I have never wanted to kill you more for it than I have in this moment. You are selfish, you are hateful, and you are no companion of ours. You abandoned your mother, the woman who loved you unconditionally. You broke the heart of the bravest and kindest human in all the universes combined."

But Rose wasn't listening. Her eyes were focused on a point just outside the window. They widened ever so slightly when she realized that it was Dalek Sec, and that its laser was pointed directly at her. Rose grinned as Sec screamed.

"Exterminate!"

The Doctor turned and paled.

A laser fired.

Rose reached out and grabbed Aneres' waist. Their bodies turned.

"NO!" The Doctor screamed, watching a skeleton light up as the laser beam struck flesh.

Another scream echoed.

A body fell to the floor.

Time slowed to a stop. Ebony curls were spread across the floor like tendrils of night. Emerald eyes struggled to stay open. Pale, spindly fingers twitched in pain. A strangled gasp escaped a set of pale pink lips.

Time restarted. The Doctor sprinted over to his fallen Tether. Rose backed away with a wide smile. The Doctor pulled Aneres into his arms and smoothed back her hair from her face. Aneres gave a weak smile as he pulled her behind a wall, safe from any further attacks.

"No… No no no!" The Doctor whispered desperately as he searched for a wound to treat, despite knowing the Dalek lasers left no treatable wounds.

Aneres gasped for air and trembled in his arms. "Well," She winced in pain, "This arguably one of the better ways to regenerate. I could have tripped over a brick," She joked.

Tears streamed down the Doctor's face as he held her tightly. "You're going to be fine. You're going to be fine."

"Of course I am," Aneres replied, her voice a rasp as an orange glow began to appear beneath her skin. "I'm with you."

The Doctor sobbed and rocked back and forth, crushing Aneres' body against his. "I'm sorry. I'm… _so_ sorry."

"There's no time," Aneres murmured. The Doctor looked down at her with confusion. "We need to open the breach."

The Doctor shook his head wildly. "Not until you've regenerated! No!"

Aneres held up a finger to his lips. "Fingers on lips!" She joked weakly. The Doctor sobbed again. "I'm more vulnerable if I start regenerating, darling. Please, open the breach."

The Doctor took a deep breath and nodded, his eyes darting around the room wild as he planned. Then, they landed on Rose. A feral growl escaped him. Rose's eyes widened in fear.

"_Theta. No. You need to open the breach,"_ Aneres murmured in Gallifreyan.

The Doctor looked back over at her, the sight of her smile _just_ enough to make himself calm down enough to not murder Rose on the spot. He took a deep breath and ran across the room to plug in some coordinates to the computer. Once that was done, he grabbed a very long cable and pulled out his sonic before running back to Aneres.

"I'm going to tie you to me so there's no way you'll get pulled in," the Doctor murmured desperately. Aneres nodded and allowed the Doctor to pull her up into a standing position.

"Doctor…?" Rose whispered as she watched him work. The Time Lord let out a snarl, but otherwise refused to acknowledge her.

"Is that too tight?" He asked as he wound the cable around them in a makeshift harness.

Aneres shook her head. "I'm," A gasp of pain, "I'm fine."

The Doctor bit back another sob as he sealed the cable in place with the sonic. Aneres' eyes drifted to a surveillance feed, causing her to wince for a different reason.

"We've got company," She rasped, pointing a shaking finger at the monitor. The Doctor looked over and paled.

"They're only one floor down," He whispered. True to his word, the troop of Cybermen Aneres had seen on the monitor were in fact only one staircase away.

"Levers operational," The computer droned.

The Doctor sighed in relief and grabbed a Magnaclamp before running to the wall next to the lever and attaching it securely. He winced as his movements jostled Aneres, eliciting another gasp of pain.

"I'm sorry," He crooned, "It'll be over soon."

Aneres nodded slowly before burying her face in his chest, her breath getting shallower by the minute. The Doctor took several deep breaths before pulling up the lever on his side. Rose followed suit, sprinting over to her own lever with a Magnaclamp in hand. The Doctor glared murderously at her, but otherwise said nothing as she attached her Magnaclamo to the wall and pulled up her own lever.

"Online," The computer chimed.

Aneres took a deep breath and forced her arms to come up and encircle the Doctor. The breach began to open with a blinding light. A strong wind ripped through the chamber. Screams started to echo as Dalek after Dalek found themselves being yanked into the breach.

"Emergency!" The Daleks screeched. The Doctor grinned at them and held on tightly to the Magnaclamp, trying to push past his Tether's increasing pain.

"The breach is open! Into the Void! Ha!" He cried out. Aneres managed a trembling smile before sobbing in pain.

Rose gasped as the air whipped past her, alone on her own Magnaclamp while Aneres was tied to the Doctor. Hatred continued to bloom in her heart. _Why couldn't she die immediately? Why did she have to regenerate? _Rose thought desperately as she watched the Doctor cling to her as if she was the most precious thing in the world.

Her thoughts were broken as a Cyberman's body rammed into her lever, knowing it out of place.

"Offline," The computer droned. The Doctor paled and looked down at Aneres, who had a much stronger orange glow now. He looked over at Rose.

"Get that lever upright!" He screamed, fury in his eyes.

Rose flinched and shook her head. "I'll get pulled in!" She whined.

The Doctor roared with murder and death promised in his voice. "Then you should have gone to Pete's World, where you belong!"

Rose gaped at him, tears building in her eyes at that admission. She looked over at the lever. Back at the Doctor. Back to the lever. With a strangled sob, she let go of the Magnaclamp and grabbed the lever, her hands wrapping around it as she attempted to pull it back up.

"It hurts…" Aneres whimpered as the regeneration energy continued to build. The Doctor reached up and took advantage of the decreased suction to rub her back soothingly while he pressed a kiss to her hair.

"It's going to be okay," He promised, watching as Rose finally pulled the lever upright. The suction started back up. The Doctor put his other hand back on the Magnaclamp.

"Online and locked," The computer declared.

Rose screamed as the suction grew in strength. She sobbed and held onto the lever for dear life. She looked over at the Doctor, and wanted to scream as he glared at her. _Doesn't he understand? I did this for him! He's free now! We can be together!_ Rose's thoughts echoed in her mind, repeating and growing in volume the longer she hung onto that lever.

She gasped as her fingers started to slip from the lever, the suction growing ever stronger as more Daleks and Cybermen flew past her.

Two fingers slipped. Rose stared at the Doctor.

Another two fingers. Rose started crying.

Three more fingers. "Doctor!" She screamed desperately. "Help me!"

Another finger. The Doctor didn't spare her a glance. Rose sobbed in pain as the suction continued to pull at her.

Suddenly, she was flying. WInd whipped past her as the breach pulled her away, her grip no longer on the lever. "No!" She shrieked, her hand reaching out for the Doctor.

THUMP. She choked as her body slammed into something hard before her vision was encompassed in white light. Rose screamed again.

The Doctor gasped as Pete stared at him, Rose in his arms, before disappearing just as the breach closed. The wind died immediately. He dropped to the floor, Aneres beginning to scream as the pain mounted with the regeneration energy.

"Systems closed."

The computer's voice echoed in the almost empty room, but the Doctor barely heard it. His hands fumbled for the sonic. It buzzed loudly as it cut through the cable.

"Theta… please…" Aneres moaned, writhing in pain as the Doctor unwound the cable from them.

"Shh, shh, I'm almost done," He whispered.

Aneres smiled weakly, the orange glow beginning to seep from her skin and float around her. The cable thudded loudly as the Doctor tugged the last of it off of them and threw it across the room. He knelt next to Aneres and smoothed her hair back, smiling down at her while tears made their way down his cheeks.

"I love you," He murmured. Aneres' smile grew. Her hand came up to cup his cheek tenderly. The Doctor shuddered and leaned into her touch.

"_I love you too,"_ She rasped.

Her hand dropped to the floor. Orange light exploded from her body. She screamed as her body began to change. She grew a couple inches taller. Her hair straightened out to a gentle wave instead of a tight curl and gained a brown undertone to the black. Her skin darkened to a golden color. Her eyes thinned out while her nose flattened and became a little wider. Her lips filled out and became a more nude color than the pink they had been before. The Doctor winced as the glow brightened before suddenly dying off, revealing his Tether's fourth body.

"Annie…?" He whispered.

Aneres groaned and opened her eyes slowly. She blinked and looked over at the Doctor with a small smile. "Am I… ginger?" She asked, her voice now just slightly lower than it had been before.

And, despite the fear, despite the pain, despite everything that had happened that day, the Doctor burst out laughing. He laughed so hard his sides hurt, and he only laughed harder when Aneres joined in, her lips parted in a beaming smile that he fell in love with all over again.

The Doctor leaned forward and pulled her into a hug. Aneres hugged him back, just as tightly, and cried happy tears into his neck. After several minutes, they pulled away.

"You are not ginger, but I love you just the same," The Doctor teased. Aneres laughed and wiped away his stray tears.

"Just as well, I'd love you even if you looked like the inside of a Dalek," She joked. The Doctor laughed and pulled her up to her feet. "Do I look alright though?"

The Doctor smiled and reached up to cup her cheeks as he stared at her. "You're beautiful. Always have been, always will be."

Aneres blushed as he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. Then a kiss on each cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed as he leaned in and kissed her lips, savoring in the warmth and love they felt for each other. When they pulled away, it was reluctant and only because they needed to leave in the Tardis before the authorities got there and arrested them.

TEotOS

Many months later, just as he started putting the events at Canary Wharf behind him, Mickey heard a voice whispering in his mind. Well, two voices. One he recognized, the other was a mystery, but they were both saying the same thing: his name.

"_Mickey… __**Mickey…**__"_

He immediately told Pete and Jake, who forbade him from speaking about it with Rose. Not that he could have anyways, Rose had long since been sent to a psychiatric facility where she was now receiving treatment for her mental diseases. He didn't even tell Jackie, despite her having agreed with that course of action in regards to Rose.

Instead, he travelled with Pete and Jake (still in Rickey's old van), stopping and starting whenever the voices grew louder or softer.

"_**Mickey… **__Mickey…" _

If this had happened a year ago, Mickey would have only prayed he wasn't going insane. But, times were different now. He had seen the wonders and horrors of the universe. He had met aliens, French Aristocracy, and a team of crazy alien hunters he was proud to call family.

Which is why the idea of the Doctor calling to him, when they were in completely different universes, didn't faze him as much as one would think it would. He took it in stride, and travelled the world until they arrived on a windswept beach in Norway. And, across the shore from him, stood the Doctor and a woman he didn't recognize.

Pete and Jake stood next to the van as Mickey made his way over, tears brimming in his eyes as he realized Aneres wasn't standing next to the Doctor. Had Rose been telling the truth when she arrived? Had she managed to kill the Time Lady? If so, there would be very little stopping him from killing her in return.

His thoughts stopped, however, when the woman opened her mouth and began to speak.

"Mickey Smith, Defender of the Earth," She greeted him, a sad smile on her face. Mickey's eyes widened.

"Aneres…?" He asked softly, hardly daring to believe it. Mickey almost burst into tears when she nodded. "You look different."

"I regenerated," She explained slowly. Mickey's eyes widened, he looked to the Doctor, who nodded in confirmation.

"Rose got her shot by Dalek Sec right before we opened the breach," The Doctor elaborated.

Mickey bristled with fury, but didn't say anything. Instead, he looked at Aneres and how much she had changed. Where he had once seen a white woman with dark curly hair, now stood an elegant and lithe woman who looked Chinese if he had to take a guess. He sighed and smiled sadly.

"You look good," He eventually said. Aneres smiled. "Where are you two anyways?"

"Inside the Tardis," The Doctor replied. "There's one tiny little gap in the Universe left, just about to close, and it takes a lot of power to send this projection. We're in orbit around a supernova. We're burning up a sun just to say goodbye."

Aneres lightly slugged the Doctor in the arm, smiling at Mickey all the while. "It's all worth it though, to say goodbye to you."

"You both look like ghosts," Mickey admitted, taking a step closer.

The Doctor winced and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, pointing it at something Mickey couldn't see. A moment later, the two Time Lords seemed more solid, as if they were actually standing across from him on that beach.

"You still can't touch us," Aneres admitted. "We're just a projection. An echo."

Mickey nodded bitterly and continued to watch them. "Can't you come through properly?"

Aneres laughed sweetly. "Only if we wanted to destroy two universes," She joked. Mickey laughed softly and winked at her.

"Doesn't sound too bad," He teased. The Doctor chuckled as well before frowning at Mickey's surroundings, of which he could see very little.

"Where are we? Where did the gap come out?" He asked.

"You managed to get all the way to Norway," Micey replied, clapping slowly with a smile. "About fifty miles out of Burgen. It's called 'Darlig Ulv Stranden'."

The Doctor and Aneres' eyes widened. "Dalek?" They demanded.

Mickey shook his head. "Darlig. It's Norwegian for bad. This translates as Bad Wolf Bay."

Aneres frowned as the Doctor flinched at the word choice, but made no comment. They looked back over at Mickey, who seemed very close to tears now.

"How long have we got?" He asked softly. The Doctor and Aneres slumped slightly.

"About two minutes," Aneres admitted. Mickey laughed softly, a bitter laugh that chilled him to the core.

"What I wouldn't give for at least five more," He muttered. Aneres stared at him sadly.

"Are you and Jake still working together?" She asked. Mickey nodded.

"We're hunting aliens for Torchwood now," He replied. "And we got Ricky a proper headstone now that we don't have to worry about Cybermen destroying it."

Aneres teared up and smiled at him. "Thank you, Mickey. You are so kind, and we were so lucky to get to travel with you."

Mickey smiled as the Doctor nodded. "We truly were, Mickey. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done," The Doctor admitted.

Mickey shrugged. "Knowing our luck we'll see each other again and you'll be able to try in person," He teased. The Doctor barked out a laugh.

"That'll be the day, that'll be the day," He murmured, nodding as he spoke. The Doctor then looked over at a clock. "Only thirty seconds left."

Mickey took a deep breath. "Well, goodbye Aneres. Goodbye Doctor," He choked out around the lump in his throat. "It was an honor."

Aneres nodded quickly as tears streamed down her face. "Goodbye, Mickey Smith. We'll never forget you."

The Doctor nodded as well. "You were stellar Mickey. Absolutely stellar."

Mickey smiled and opened his mouth, but the image flickered away, leaving only Mickey standing on the shores of Bad Wolf Bay. Mickey Smith, Defender of the Earth, and his endless memories of the Doctor and Aneres, and all the adventures they had.

TEotOS

Aneres sunk to the floor as the image of Mickey disappeared. Tears dripped from her face and onto the grating. A strangled sob echoed from her lips while the Doctor gently hoisted her back up. They clutched each other tightly as they cried.

"He was so amazing, and we only knew him for such a short amount of time," Aneres sobbed. The Doctor softly shushed her while carding his fingers through her hair.

"And we'll always carry him with us. No matter how long he travelled with us, he's our family now," The Doctor agreed. Aneres nodded into his neck before looking up and gasping.

"Um… That's not supposed to be here…" She whispered. The Doctor frowned and pulled away to see a woman standing in a white dress and a veil.

"What?" He rasped. The woman turned around, revealing a handsome face framed with bright red hair.

"Oh!" She cried out, alarm flooding her features.

"What?" The Doctor repeated. Aneres slowly moved away from the Doctor to get a better look at the woman.

"Who are you?" The red-head demanded. The Doctor's mouth opened and closed in shock.

"But," He started, words failing him. Aneres cracked her knuckles idly as she stared at the woman.

"How did she get here?" She demanded. The red-head didn't hear her, too wrapped up in her panic.

"Where am I, eh?" She shouted. The Doctor looked at his Tether desperately, but all she had to offer was a shrug and a look of confusion.

"What?" He repeated. Aneres rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. The red-head's face was rapidly beginning to watch her hair.

"What the hell is this place?" She screamed. The Doctor flapped his mouth a few more times before running his hands through his hair.

"What?!" He cried out again. Aneres laughed and shook her head.

"If you say what one more time, she might just strangle you," The Time Lady pointed out, excited to see where this was going.

**It's over! We did it! Aneres has regenerated, Mickey and Rose are stuck in a parallel universe and now there's a certain fiery future companion in the Tardis! Please let me know how this chapter was, I almost cried while writing it and want to see how you all reacted. **

**Now, this is not the end! I will be continuing this story with a sequel, "The Surge of the Oncoming Storm" which I would like to start at some point this year, but that remains to be seen. Ideally, I'm aiming for mid to late June or early July so keep an eye out for that story! **

**Lastly, thank you. You have all been delightful readers that I could never have finished this story without, and I love all of you so much. You bring so much joy to my life and to my writing, and it is so amazing to know I have your support for the future stories I plan on writing. Please, leave a review with your thoughts, ideas for the sequel, comments, or just PM me so we can celebrate over this! It's been an amazing journey, and we're just getting started. Until next time,**

**-Angel**


	34. The Sequel is Out!

**Welcome, to _The Surge of the Oncoming Storm_! Please enjoy this excerpt and feel free to go to my profile to read the sequel!**

Aneres' eyes widened as she finally noticed the myriad of Christmas decorations on the buildings and street lamps. The Doctor gasped and looked back down at Donna.

"Is it Christmas?" He asked. Donna rolled her eyes.

"Well, duh. Maybe not on Mars, but here it's Christmas Eve. Phone box! We can reverse the charges!"

"We're not from Mars," Aneres remarked, turning back to Donna and the Doctor as they walked over to a phone box.

"How come you're getting married on Christmas Eve?" He asked. Donna made a sort of 'blech' sound.

"Can't bear it. I hate Christmas. Honeymoon, Morocco. Sunshine, lovely," Aneres bit back a chuckle at her words as she approached the phone, "What's the operator? I've not done this in years. What do you dial? 100?"

The Doctor quickly looked around before holding up his sonic screwdriver to the phone and eliciting a dial tone. Aneres grinned at him and stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Just call the direct," The Doctor ordered Donna, who gaped at him.

"What did you do?" She asked, her eyes wide. Aneres shook her head and started tugging the Doctor outside the phone box.

"Something alien, now phone your family. We're going to find some money for you," the Time Lady explained.

Donna nodded absentmindedly, dialling the number for her mum's mobile while Aneres and the Doctor joined the queue at a cash machine. They bounced up and down on their toes as the queue moved at a snail's pace. Finally, bored out of her mind, Aneres looked back up at the Doctor with a sly smile.

"So, it's been a few hours with the new body and new outfit, what do you think?" She asked. The Doctor raised an eyebrow and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"You're dazzling, my dear, and that's all I'm going to say as there might be innocent ears nearby," He whispered. Aneres blushed and shivered slightly as the Doctor pulled away to wink at her.

"You're still cheeky as ever," She groused with a smile. The Doctor laughed as they moved further up the line.

"Of course, how else will you get any excitement in life?" He asked jokingly. Aneres batted her lashes.

"I can think of a few ways," She commented with her own wink. The Doctor seemed to choke on air and turned his own shade of red while averting his gaze to the sidewalk.

"You know what this reminds me of?" He asked. Aneres shook her head and looked up at him. "Our wedding, when I was late because my brother had taken my bag of clothes by accident to where he was getting ready for his lecture at the Academy."

Aneres laughed and covered her mouth with one hand. "Oh, I remember that. My cousin said you sprinted into the changing room at the venue with messy hair, almost completely unshaved, and were desperately throwing your clothes on while my Dad tried to help you out so you would be less late than you already were."

"And you were standing in front of the priest in your robes, hair done in intricate braids, a ceremonial headpiece delicately situated upon your head, wondering if I was ever going to show up," He added. Aneres nodded.

"Only to look up as you burst through the doors, in robes that had somehow shrunk a size, sweating madly and with the most nervous smile I'd ever seen," She continued with an ever-present fond smile.

Before the Doctor could say anything more, they reached the front of the queue and started fiddling with the cash machine. But, the sound of a loud brass band caused the Doctor to stiffen and turn around. He paled at the sight of the same robot santas he had fought last Christmas approaching Donna as she stood on the street.

**I hope all of you lovely readers enjoyed this excerpt of the sequel, please stay safe and have a great rest of your day!**


End file.
